Reunion Rewritten
by msd1423daly
Summary: I hated Reunion. I thought the dialogue was choppy, hated that Vincent let Zach slide for trying to kill Catherine and that he remembered Gabriella before fully remembering Cat. So I rewrote it! Let me know what you think.
1. Chapter 1

I hated Reunion. I thought the dialogue was choppy and awkward. I hated the Zach/Vincent Dynamic (He tried to kill Catherine for God's sake). I hated that Vincent remembered Gabriella so easily after struggling for 5 episodes to remember Catherine. So I have totally rewritten this episode. I tried to keep the theme of "Reunion" but flipped the dynamic around. Let me know your thoughts!

Reunion Rewritten

Catherine carried the laundry basket into her room. She hasn't seen her high school friends in years and didn't want them to think she had turned into a slob. Even though over the past 3 months searching for Vincent she had let some things go. But he was back and he was getting better. She was happy he was home, but she was looking forward to seeing her high school friends and catching up. Her life certainly was not where she thought it would be 10 years after high school, but all in all she was happy.

She turned into her bedroom and lowered the laundry basket, she jumped, from the corner of her eye, she saw someone sitting in her window. "Vincent!" It had been too long since he had waiting for her on the fire escape.

"I am so sorry….I didn't mean to scare you. I wanted to see you and I wasn't sure if I could use the front door or…." He walked over to her and took her into his arms.

Catherine smiled and snuggled into him and was so tempted to stay here. "You are welcome to use the front door or the fire escape. I am good with either one…..but." She pulled back looking up at him.

He interrupted her. "I really wanted to see you and see if we could pick up where we left off, maybe jog some memories." He was walking her back to the bed.

"I am sorry Vincent, I would really love nothing more, but my 10 year class reunion is tomorrow and I invited some of the girls over for drink tonight."

He looked disappointed, which make her feel all jelly inside. "I am sorry, maybe you could come by later? And…." She paused suddenly unsure of herself.

Vincent was becoming pretty good a reading her emotions. "What is it?"

"Would you like to go to the reunion with me? As my plus one? I mean you don't have to, it would probably be really boring I just…." She was rambling and he loved it.

"I would love to." He said kissing her gently. "Thank you for asking me."

"Really! You go could as Vincent..."

"Zalanski?" He said. They both stared at each other.

"Vincent?" Catherine said softly.

"I don't know where that came from…it just…"

Catherine smiled her eyes getting moist. "Zalanski was the last name we made up for you last year, when you talked about coming to my Dad's wedding." She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly.

Vincent laid his cheek on her head. "I will remember everything Catherine, I promise I won't stop fighting to remember you."

Their moment was interrupted by a knock at her door.

"I am sorry Vincent I have to go." She stepped back out of his arms, immediately feeling bereft.

He smiled at her. "I will come back later…leave the window open for me. Enjoy the time with your girlfriends I am going to go see JT."

"Great! Maybe jog some memories with him. He missed you just as much as I did Vincent."

Vincent smiled and blurred out of the window.

He was distracted, thinking about later that night with Catherine and he missed the glowing eyes tracking him from across the street.

Zach can't believe the beast hunter he has been tracking is a beast himself, not only that, but its Vincent Keller. Instead of following Vincent he focuses on the lovely young woman he was holding in his arms just a few seconds ago.

"I am so jealous that you are clearly the same size you were in high school. While I am over here like the Goodyear blimp."

"Well don't be Zoe, you have a fabulous husband and adorable kids. And Beth is a big time reporter. I would say you both have done well for yourself in the last 10 years."

"So you are the same size as you were in high school, but are you still dating the bad boys?" Sue asked.

"Bad boys?" Catherine immediately flashes on the conversation with Vincent, he had called himself the ultimate bad boy.

"Yeah, you would always find the ones with the broken wings and nurse them, try to change them for the better." Zoe pointed out.

Beth jumped to her defense. "Yes, but now she is a bad ass detective, taking them down instead of dating them."

Catherine eager to change the subject. "How about some more wine."

JT and Vincent are kicking back and watching football. "Pass me the chips" Vincent passes JT the chips and takes the pretzels from him. Their moves are almost choreographed, it's obvious to Vincent that they have done this many times. He smiles. Catherine was right, JT did miss him as much as she did.

"Hey man, I just wanted to say that I am sorry, I don't remember all that much."

"Don't worry about it Vincent, I am just glad to have you back. After 10 years of protecting you, I felt like I had failed you. I wouldn't let myself even imagine what you might be going through. Although Catherine did plenty of imagining for the both of us. It's just going to take some time. You are remembering some things and the rest….we just have to be patient."

Vincent realized that Catherine and JT cared about him, hell, probably loved him. He was humbled by that. All this time he has felt like he was built for one thing and one thing only…hunting beasts. But JT and Cat, make him feel human. He has a lot to make up to them. Hanging out with his buddy seems like a good place to start.

"So we are meeting tomorrow at 7pm outside the school?" Zoe checks with the girls.

"Yes, although I am bringing a plus one?" Catherine slips that in there hoping her friends won't over react. No such luck.

"What!"

"Who is this guy and why didn't you tell us about him."

"You will meet him tomorrow, I promise. I wanted tonight to be about us, no guy talk." Catherine grins at them. "Seriously, I needed some girl time!"

Catherine hears a thump coming from her bedroom. Before the others pick up on it, she hurries them out the door. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Hey what's his name?" Beth says as Catherine is closing the door.

"Vincent Zalanski" Catherine says shutting the door. Placing her back against it, she closes her eyes and smiles. I have had a wonderful evening jogging my memories with the girls and now I get to jog Vincent's memory.

Vincent takes off from JT's and heads to Catherine's. He can't wait to jog some more memories tonight.

Catherine comes into her room and sees Vincent hiding behind the curtain. "You don't have to hide, they are all gone."

The curtain moves and it is not Vincent standing in her bedroom.

The man moves as fast as Vincent and before she knows it she is pressed up against the wall with his hands at her throat. "Scream and I will rip your throat out. How do you know Vincent Keller? Why is he hunting us?"

Catherine just looks at him. Daring him to do something. After all she has been through she is not giving up Vincent.

"I can smell him all over you….that would be nice, me all over you." He presses up against her.

Catherine brings up her knee and nails him right in the balls. He drops her. She wraps her hand around his neck and pulls him toward the mirror. It shatters. As he turns around she round house kicks him on the side of his face.

He turns and grabs her by the throat throwing her onto the bed.

Vincent is close to Catherine's when he hears the shattering glass. He blurs toward her fire escape, and as he enters the window he sees Catherine struggling with a man on her bed. Vincent rushes in and grabs the man by the back of the neck and tosses him out of the window. Vincent watches in shock as the man lands on his feet. Looking back up at Vincent his eyes are glowing.

"Hey! Wait! Stop!" but the man blurs away before Vincent can get to him.

Vincent turns to Catherine. Gathering her up into his arms.

"Are you alright, did he hurt you?"

"I am fine, he was more interested in you than me, Vincent. Do you recognize him?"

"No…not at all. What did he say?"

He asked me about you, how I knew you, he said he could smell you on me." Catherine shudders at the memory of him pressed up against her.

Vincent closes his eyes, his enhanced beast senses tracking the man's movements in Catherine's room. He can smell the surge of lust in hormones from the man. Vincent's beast rises to the surface, growling, wanting to protect Catherine.

"Vincent he asked why you were hunting him. He tracked you here. He's a …"

"Beast. I saw him transform when I threw him out the window. He is bleeding and I can track him."

Vincent wait! Let's call Tess and JT, see if we can figure out who he is first. The last beast you went running off after almost killed you."

But he was not willing to put Catherine at risk for one second longer. "Don't worry about me, I promise he won't hurt you again." He kissed her and took off out the window.

"Damn it Vincent"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Anything yet JT?" Catherine is wearing a hole in the floor. She brought her shoe to JT for DNA testing in an attempt to find out who the new beast is.

"It's going to take a bit yet. Once I extract and type the DNA, I still have to run it against all the databases."

Frustratingly running her hands through her hair. "I am sorry, it's just that Vincent took off after this guy and I am worried about him. He had no idea what this beast is capable of."

"I know I am worried too, but I am working as fast as I can here."

Vincent tracked the beast to an old church. As he entered the vestibule he can sense the other beast. "You might as well come out, I know you're in here."

The other beast can see Vincent as well. "I knew you'd follow me, beast hunter….or should I say Vincent Keller."

Vincent is shocked. "Who are you and how do you know who I am."

The beast laughs. "I am disappointed Keller that you don't remember me, after all we served together."

Served together, Vincent racks his brain, this guy was in the military with me, he must be a Murfield asset?

"Although to be fair, I thought you were dead. At least I hoped you were. But this works out perfectly for me. I get to kill two birds with one stone. Kill you and stop the beast killings and kill your girl in payback for Gabriella. Today is your lucky day Keller, you get to live. I will kill her first, then you will know how it feels to have something you love ripped away from you."

Vincent has no idea who Gabriella. "Who the hell is Gabriella and who the hell are you. Come here and face me." Vincent closes his eyes reaching out with his senses trying to get a fix on where his prey is hiding. He can sense the fear coming in waves off of the man.

""You're afraid of me, you should be. I don't know who you are or who Gabriella is, but attacking and now threatening Catherine is a bad move. Feels to me like this Gabriella made the right call in ditching your ass."

A loud threatening roar fills the church and the man jumps down from his hiding spot. Facing Vincent his face in contorted in rage as his beast rises to the surface. He crouches down preparing to strike at Vincent.

Vincent spins and readies himself to respond to the threat. He roars back his own enhanced beast fully engaged and ready to battle.

The two beasts face each other. Then for whatever reason, the other beast turns and flees. As he leaves he yells back. "I will see you soon Vincent….tell Catherine I am coming for her."

Vincent's first thought is Catherine and keeping her safe. He heads back to her apartment and tracks her to JT's.

"Catherine" Vincent bursts into the gentleman's club. "Catherine!"

"Vincent…are you alright?" Catherine runs up to him, checking him from head to toe.

"I am fine, but I have to get you away from here."

JT interjects. "Vincent I haven't figured out who this guy is yet."

"Try military databases. All soldiers DNA is on file. This guy said we were in the military together."

JT turns around and starts typing.

"So you talked to him, who is he?" Catherine asked.

"I don't know but he knows me, he said we served together and that he thought I was dead, actually said hoped I was dead. Apparently he blames me for something to do with a woman named Gabriella."

"Zach Hayes" JT says excitedly as the computer dings, letting him know that he has a hit. The computer confirms JT.

"Zach Hayes, It's his DNA on Cat's shoes. Vincent you don't remember him?"

"No should I?"

"You both enlisted at the same time, he was from the neighborhood, and he shipped out before you. He also died before you. I went to his funeral."

"What about Gabriella. Who is she?"

JT looked really uncomfortable….looking at Catherine apologetically. "She was a girl you had a fling with before you shipped out."

"I thought I was engaged to a girl named Alex?"

JT explained. "You and Alex broke up because she didn't want you to enlist. You romanced Gabriella for a few weeks and then shipped out. Eventually you got back with Alex. Later you found out that Gabriella was engaged at the time of your fling to Zach Hayes."

"I sound like an asshole." Vincent says ashamed. He hates that he can't remember everything.

"No it wasn't like that, you didn't know about Zach and Gabriella until after you met up with Zach again in Afghanistan. You thought you were both single, dude you did not break the bro code."

Vincent is frustrated, his lack of memory weighing on him like an anchor, only now it was going to drag Catherine down too.

Catherine put her hand on Vincent's arm to calm him. "You are a good man Vincent, but it sounds like Zach is a little unhinged.

"Unhinged is an understatement, he is going to come after you, Catherine to get to me. I can't let anything happen to you." Vincent couldn't remember everything about her, but he didn't need to, he was falling in love with her and while he wasn't sure who the old Vincent was, this Vincent would give his life for her.

"I am fine Vincent and I don't need you to protect me. But what about this Gabriella? I will get Tess to check on her and make sure that she is protected." Catherine walked over to the bar to call Tess.

Vincent looked at Catherine. Here she is the target of a mad beast and her first concern is for Gabriella. She is so strong. Love and respect for her overwhelm him.

He grips his head as pain washes over him. All of a sudden he has flashes of memories. Catherine holding Murfield at gunpoint, refusing to let him turn himself in. She was just one woman against an entire Murfield cell, but she didn't care, she fought for him. Catherine taking on a police officer in uniform saving him from transforming and killing the officer. Catherine's hand on his face, telling him that he was worth it. He groans as the memories keep coming and he falls to his knees.

"Vincent!" Catherine races over to him and drops down to the floor. She wraps her arms around him. "What's happening….talk to me."

Vincent's beast come out, he jerks back to prevent him from hurting her. He is panting and growling, shaking his head, trying to stop the memories overloading his system. But they keep coming. Catherine in a mask and red dress holding a man at gunpoint. Her intense face staring up at him, telling him she would get him justice. Holding her in his arms, kissing her and making love to her. The way she responds to him and sets his blood on fire. She is like a living breathing flame. He hears her tell him that she loves him and he remembers looking at her and being so in love with her. They are on a train or subway, she is crying and he tells her that he can't live without her. A wall has come down, he remembers her, and he remembers everything. He remembers!

And just like that it is over. Vincent comes back to himself. Catherine squatting down, has her arms around him. "Oh my God…. Vincent are you ok?"

He grabs her face and looks into her eyes. Her breath catches as she looks back at him and can see him. Really see him. "Vincent?" she asks the question hesitantly as though afraid of him. But what she is afraid of, is what she thinks she sees. She is afraid that she is wrong.

"I have missed you so much." He kisses her. He kisses her like he has not seen her in months. Like she is the only source of oxygen in the room.

She can immediately feel the difference, she can feel him. Their kisses up to this point have been desperate on her end and questioning on his end. But now she can feel him. She starts to cry. She keeps kissing him. He tastes salt, the pain that she has been in eats him alive. His own tears start to fall.

Pulling back, needing to breathe, they look at each other. "I am sorry I let them take you away." She says still crying.

Vincent grabs her and pulls her into his lap. He wraps himself around her. "There wasn't anything you could have done differently. You found me and you saved me….again."

Pulling back in order to look into her eyes, he says. "I am sorry for not remembering you, I am sorry for all the pain I have caused you these last few months. I am going to make it up to you, I promise."

Catherine shakes her head, "You're back…..that's all I need." They sit, holding on to each other, not caring about the passing of time or the threats they still have to face. All they are aware of is each other.

Zach Hayes is filled with rage. Vincent Keller is responsible for everything that has gone wrong in his life. He put the moves on his girl the minute his back was turned. He talked him into project Murfield. He helped turn him into a monster. The monster was all Gabriella could see when he finally found her again. All he wanted was to make his way back here to Gabriella. But she looked at him and screamed, rejected him, fled from him. What happened next was Vincent's fault. His predator instincts had kicked in as Gabriella fled from him, he couldn't control what happened next. It wasn't his fault. It was Vincent's and now….he would make him pay.

Tess raced over to the Gentleman's club after Cat's phone call asking about Gabriella Bauer. "She was murdered about 6 months ago. Cause of death was mutilation. They had to identify her through dental records."

"We are not safe here." Vincent turned to Catherine. "We need to leave now. Zach could track us here and I won't put JT at risk."

JT looked like he was going to argue. Vincent cut him off. "No arguments JT, Catherine isn't the only person I remember." Looking hard at JT. "You have done enough, no more. I want you to pack a bag and get some distance from here for a bit."

Turning to Tess. "I know it's a lot to ask, but."

Tess didn't even let him finish. "I got him….you take care of Cat…and Vincent…it's nice to have you back."

"I am going to take her to the houseboat, hopefully the water will confuse him and slow him down."

Vincent and Catherine head off to his houseboat. He wanted to blur the whole way, but Catherine opted for the car. "Roll the windows up, no AC and shut the outside vents. Maybe if we keep all the scent inside the vehicle he won't be able to track us?"

As they approached the boathouse, Vincent went on alert. "We are too late, he has already been here."

"Is he here now?"

"No….but he was here earlier." Looking down at her. "That must be how he found you, he tracked me from here directly to your place earlier tonight."

"So now what?"

"Now we run. I have a boat."

Catherine is shocked. "You have a boat?"

Vincent shrugged, my handler provided it just in case this place became compromised. And clearly it has."

The boat was docked just a few slips over. As they took off up the Hudson, Catherine realize they were heading up river away from the ocean. Towards Westchester, her hometown. "My high school reunion. The girls are going to wonder what happened to me, looking down at her watch…tonight."

Vincent immediately feels ashamed. Catherine was looking forward to the reunion, and once again his issues are ruining things for her. "We could still go."

She looks at him incredulously. "I don't think that is a good idea."

"Why not, we can stay here on the boat during daylight, Zach can't track over open water, and I will go with you to the reunion. Catherine you have given so much up for me, I want you to have this night. We will be careful and I will keep you safe."

"We will keep each other safe."

He tucked her under his arm as he piloted the boat towards Westchester.

Zach couldn't find any trace of Vincent or Catherine. After breaking into her apartment, all he had was an invitation to her high school reunion taking place tonight. It was a long shot, but he didn't have anything else.

The sun was just rising as Vincent found a small inlet and docked the boat, shutting down the engine he turned to Catherine. She was curled up on the seat, she had fallen asleep, but did not want to go down into the cabin and leave him. He was exhausted, but he pushed it aside, he felt like he had not seen her in months, not touched her in months. Now that he had his memories back, he knew how it was between them. The sex they'd had since he returned was nothing compared to how they really were together. God, it gutted him, what he had done to her. She gave everything to him and until right now he had just taken from her, without giving anything back. He picked her up and carried her downstairs. This time he was going to give her everything he had.

Catherine woke up in Vincent's arms. He laid her down on the bed, she made a little sound of distress when she thought he was leaving. But he was just taking off his clothes. Sliding back into bed with her he held her close. Catherine touched his face, looking at him. Her gaze traveled up and down his body and she smirked at him. "I seem to have more clothes on than you, care to help me with that?"

"I would like nothing more." He slowly peeled off each layer of clothing she wore. He worshipped her, unwrapping every layer like a present. His lips following his hands as he laid her bare. When she was naked, he pulled back and looked at her. He felt like he was looking at her for the first time, it was like looking into the sun, she was so bright, so overwhelming to him.

He was staring so intently that Catherine became self-conscious and started to move her hands to cover herself. Vincent gently took her hands. "No….I need to look at you. He palmed his way down her shoulders, across the curve of her hip, sweeping down her leg and coming back around over her stomach to her breasts. His hand travelled up her neck and cupped her face. Leaning towards her, he said. "You are so strong, so beautiful, I want to take my time, but at the same time I want to cover you and lose myself in you. I need you so bad, I am not sure I can take it slow."

Catherine's heart is racing, her mouth is dry, and with Vincent's words she realizes she wants him to take her, immediately and violently. She needs to be overwhelmed by him, she needs him to block out everything that has happened in the last few months."

She pulls him to her and kisses him passionately, pressing herself up against him, throwing her leg around his hip and pulling him into her.

That is all it takes and Vincent gives himself over to his passion, taking her with him, they soar, not returning to earth until they are both sated, trembling and exhausted.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Vincent wakes up first. Catherine is still sound asleep, her leg thrown over his, her head resting on his chest, he savors the satisfied feeling of waking up with her. He decides right there and then, no matter what she is not waking up alone ever again.

Catherine is getting ready for the reunion. "This seems silly, Vincent, us going to the reunion, when a crazy beast is after us both."

Vincent comes up behind her and slides his arms around her. "You deserve this night and I am going to do everything in my power to make sure you enjoy it. Besides it's been too long since I held you in my arms."

Catherine looks at the bed. "I just got out of your arms." She laughs.

Vincent goes still.

Catherine sensing his tense reaction. "What Vincent, what's wrong? Is it Zach?"

He shakes his head. "No, it's just that I haven't heard you laugh…at all since I have been back." He drops down to sit on the bed, his head in his hands.

Catherine will have none of that. "Hey…..no guilt Vincent, you didn't ask to have your memories taken, and from the moment I found you, you have been trying to remember. Now that you have, no guilt Vincent. I love you."

"OK…no guilt." He smiles at her, and looks at the bed too. "I was referring to dancing with you, your interrogation of me at the art show notwithstanding."

"I may just have to request a special song."

Catherine introduced Vincent to her high school friends. Sue asked him if he was a bad boy. Beth and Zoe just drooled a little. Catherine walked into her high school reunion feeling like she really had been the one most likely to succeed.

Vincent left Catherine at the table talking to her friends. He told her he was getting them drinks, but he also wanted to do a quick check to make sure that Zach had not followed them here.

"Oh my God is he hot!" Zoe fanned herself, you better be careful or you'll end up like me." She patted her round baby belly. Catherine laughed. For the first time in a long time, she felt normal. Even with everything they had going on. Just a normal couple enjoying an evening with old friends. "You should see him with his shirt off."

Vincent arrived back with drinks to the sound of all the women laughing. As he set down their drinks, he said. "Looks like you ladies got started without me." He sat down and lifted his drink. "A toast….to Catherine, you have courage and beauty and you have tamed this beast."

Catherine's eyes went wide, what was he doing? This was too close to the truth.

Vincent finished up. "Sorry ladies of the world, this beast is taken by this beauty."

Her friends cheered and Catherine laughed. No one the wiser that the real beast was on the move. This party was about to get interesting.

Zach sensed Vincent and Catherine as soon as he approached the school. Knowing now that he could not just walk in the front door he searched for a way in.

 _So lately been wondering who will be there to take my place._ Vincent leans over and whispers in Catherine's ear. "May I have this dance?"

As they move to the dance floor, Catherine sighs. "Awe you requested our song."

Settling her into his arms and moving to the music, "I did…I told you I wanted you in my arms again." Catherine laid her head against his chest, hearing the steady beat of his heart. She wished in that moment that she could read his heartbeat. Vincent placed his head against hers and moved with her across the dance floor.

He was so focused on her, that he didn't sense Zach until it was too late. "May I cut in?" Catherine stiffened in Vincent's arms. Vincent looked up to see Zach standing right behind her, his claws extended through her jacket, against her skin.

"Don't do anything stupid Vincent, I will gut her right here, right now. Walk away, walk away right now and I won't hurt anyone else. He looked over to her friends. "Including them."

Vincent tightened his hold on her. She looked up at him. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were starting to glow. She then looked over to her friends. "I will be ok, Vincent. Calm down, please, we have to protect them, protect everyone."

Vincent looked at Zach over Catherine's head. "I will kill you for this, but if you hurt her, I will kill you slowly." Then he cupped Catherine's face and kissed her slowly. "I will come for you. You stay alive and I will find you."

"I know."

Vincent stepped back and Zach blurred away with Catherine.

Vincent went back to the table. He didn't want to alarm anyone, or put anyone in danger, his instincts were screaming at him to take off after Catherine. But he had to make excuses for them before he took off. Catherine's friends were looking at old pictures from high school. He made excuses for Catherine, telling them that she had suddenly felt ill. He quickly made an exit after promising to cook dinner for all of them, once Catherine was feeling better.

"JT! Zach took Catherine!" Vincent explained to JT and Tess what had happened. I am going to track Catherine from here, but can you start checking surveillance and let me know if you see them anywhere. Vincent stood in the parking lot, reaching out with his beast senses. In his mind's eye he sees Catherine thrown over Zach shoulder as he blurs away. "Gotcha." He says as he takes off after them.

Zach stops at a cabin in the middle of nowhere. He unceremoniously dumps Catherine on the ground. "Vincent will find me, it doesn't matter how far you run."

Leaning over her menacingly, he says. "I am counting on it. And when he does and he sees your body, when he knows it's his fault that you are dead. Then and only then will I kill him."

Catherine stands up, trying to put some distance between them, she needs to give Vincent time to find her. "I am not that easy to kill. You had trouble last time we met."

Zach smiles. "Vincent saved you last time, but not this time." He advances on her.

Catherine continues to back up. Looking around her, looking for anything to use as a weapon or any place to hide or barricade herself from him.

"What happened to you, if you enlisted like Vincent you must have wanted to help people at some point?" She had to keep him talking.

"Oh yeah, I was all patriotic and ready to die for my country. Then the one person I loved, the person I couldn't wait to come home to, writes me and tells me that she fell in love with someone else. 'Vincent Keller' so there I am every day, having to look at the guy who stole my girl. And he didn't even want her, he had Alex back, she was all he could talk about. Then they experimented on us. Turned us into monsters. Still I fought to stay alive, fought my way home, she was all I thought about, all I wanted."

Catherine continued to back up, putting distance between them.

"Do you know what happened when I found her again?"

Catherine did know, but she didn't want him to know that she knew. So she shook her head.

"She was afraid of me, she ran from me and I couldn't help it, I couldn't control it. The beast just took over and hunted her down like prey. I wasn't my fault."

"I am sure it wasn't Zach, it's obvious to me that you love her, you are a good man. You wouldn't have joined the army if you were not a good man."

Vincent can hear Catherine's heartbeat. She is scared, but in control. He smiles to himself. That is my girl.

"Zach I know you're mad at Vincent and you have every right to be, but hurting me…that is not what a good man does. I didn't even know Vincent when all this happened. It's not too late Zach, you can make a change. You can do the right thing. Hurting Vincent is not going to make all this pain go away Zach."

Vincent can now see Catherine, he is approaching down wind, hoping to keep Zach from sensing him.

"No it won't but it will spread it around a little."

With those words Zach leaned forward intent on closing the distance with Catherine, but his forward momentum was abruptly stopped by Vincent who grabbed Zach around the neck, pulled him backward and twisted. Zach's neck broke with a sickening crack.

Vincent dropped Zach to the ground and took off toward Catherine. Sweeping her up into his arms. "Are you ok? God, I was so afraid I wouldn't get to you in time. I should have known better, I should have known that you can take care of yourself."

Catherine, shaken at what she has witnessed and realizing how close she came to death, holds onto Vincent. "I knew you'd find me."

Vincent tightens his hold on her. Is this ever going to end for them? He is determined that enough is enough.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Vincent's behavior since his memories have returned has Catherine worried. He hasn't returned to the houseboat, he has been splitting his time between her place and JT. She is glad he is reveling in having his memories back and she hates to bring it up, but there is still the matter of who kidnapped him. She needs to know who kidnapped him, what did they do to him and who turned him into a killing machine. She knows he has a handler and the search for answers starts with him.

She has been waiting for the opportunity to bring it up to him. That time is now. They are sitting out on the fire escape. Vincent likes to sit out here in the evenings. She is not sure if it's because of his memories of how things used to be or if he just likes fire escapes. She leans into him, enjoying the solid warmth of him. For the last few months, she has felt untethered to the world, the world without him in it. Now that he is back, really back. She wants to take on everyone who hurt him.

"Vincent?"

"Mmmmm" He pulls her closer, letting her know he heard her.

"I think we need to find your handler. Now that you know that they kidnapped you and changed you; you can't possibly still work for them."

"I know." He said it quietly, so quietly that she might have missed it. "I know, I have just been afraid."

"Afraid? Of what."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Afraid of dragging everyone back into Murfield, or whoever took me. It seems so peaceful right now, I guess I was just trying to make it last as long as possible, you know?"

Catherine tilted her head in sympathy. Vincent was quick to acknowledge the problem.

"Look I know I need to find out who kidnapped me. They brainwashed me and took away my memories. But the work I have been doing, Catherine, you know the beasts I have taken out were bad. They killed innocent people and no criminal justice system could hold them accountable, but I could. How do I walk away from the fact that there are still beast out there? At least according to my handler."

Catherine appreciates the struggle taking place inside him. Vincent has always been driven to help people. In fact, that desire is what got him into this mess in the first place. She places a comforting hand on his back.

"I don't know, but I do know that you can't keep on hunting beasts, sooner or later, someone is going to find out about you. Not everything wrong in this world is your problem to fix."

Vincent hung his head.

"It sure feels like it."

"That is the guilt talking Vincent."

He lifted his head and squared his shoulders.

"You're right so what do we do about it?"

"What is the last thing you remember after you were taken?" She shudders as she speaks, the memory of that night, still haunts her. She too carries guilt, guilt over letting go of his hand, over injecting him with the vaccine and keeping him a beast.

Vincent is quiet a moment. He takes her hand, staring at it.

"I remember holding on to your hand as the net rose into the air. I remember the look on your face as I was pulled away. I kept that image in my head for a long time. At least until they tortured it out of me. I have no idea how long we flew or where they took me, but we landed before daylight, so it has to be within a 6 hour chopper ride. I remember the men in the chopper; a younger man and an older man. No names just faces. I will never forget those faces."

He pauses, his pulse is racing as he relives being ripped away from her. Catherine sensing his distress, calms him, by placing her hand on his face.

"Hey, you are safe now, Vincent and I promise they will not hurt you again."

Vincent smiles at her, she is ever ready to save him. It's only fair he supposes as he is always ready to save her as well.

"The place where I was held, was your basic detention center, plus laboratory. There were cells, and treatment rooms. I know there were other people being held there, I could hear them, but I never saw any of them. The man who tortured me, is the older man from the helicopter. He was in charge of programming me. Every day for months, they would inject me and talk at me. They used sleep deprivation and hunger to confuse me and break me down."

Looking at Catherine, his expression earnest.

"You have to believe me, I tried to hold onto your memory. I would talk to you sometimes and it felt so real, like you were really there. I must have talked out loud to myself because at one point they told me that they had you. If I didn't cooperate they would hurt you. I could hear a woman screaming and they would tell me all I had to do to make it stop was let go."

Vincent started shaking, he dropped his head, his voice broken.

"I could handle what they were doing to me, but hearing the screams and thinking what they were doing to you. I couldn't take it, it broke me, thinking that I was to blame for your pain. I stopped resisting and I never heard the screams again, I didn't care what happened to me, I just wanted you free."

Rage coursed through Catherine. Rage and guilt that someone used her to break Vincent that someone took the love he felt for her and turned it against him, used it to turn him into the very monster he had always been terrified he would become.

"I am so sorry that they hurt you Vincent. And that they used me to do it. No wonder you were suspicious of me when you first met me again. You may not have remembered me, but I bet subconsciously you felt I was a danger to you. Clearly your handler wanted you to think so."

Vincent shook his head.

"That is not why I was suspicious of you. I could feel you, from that very first moment, you touched a part of me that I didn't want to acknowledge existed anymore. You terrified me, because you made me want to quit hunting. I couldn't focus, you were constantly invading my thoughts. I dreamed about you at night and day dreamed about you during the day. You certainly are dangerous…..not to me, but to my handler. You brought me back."

Catherine smiled and kissed him gently.

"I am so glad. How do we go about finding your handler? Could you do a sketch of him?

"Yeah, I remember his face very clearly."

Vincent met with a police sketch artist and when he was done, he brought the sketch to JT to see if he could do anything with it. Catherine looked at the sketch and felt a twinge of recognition. He felt familiar to her.

Vincent and Catherine made good on their plan to have her friends over to dinner to apologize for her hasty exit at the reunion. After an amazing dinner while sitting around the fireplace enjoying their wine. Catherine and Vincent make a startling discovery.

"Catherine I scooped up a bunch of old photographs from the reunion. I didn't think you got a chance to see them all."

Catherine looked through the photos. She smiled at most of the memories. Back when life was simple. She had wanted to be a lawyer, like her Dad…..Well like Thomas. She still didn't know who her real Dad was. Another question that needed to be answered.

Vincent was looking over her shoulder. Smiling, looking at a much younger Catherine. The girl she was before her Mom's death. Now he suddenly realized why Catherine had kept the picture of him from Alex's apartment. They really were different people before the weight of their tragedies, you could see it; in the carefree smile she had. He glanced over to the mantle, where his photo was framed. It was important to remember who they had been before all the bad stuff happened.

"We need to frame one of these photos of you."

Catherine shuffled through them.

"Here is one from Graduation day."

They both looked at the photo. Catherine inhales sharply and Vincent goes absolutely still beside her. Catherine looks at Vincent and can tell he is holding back. He is positively vibrating with suppressed emotion. Thinking quickly she stands and asks Vincent to accompany her to the bedroom.

"Vincent, I think there are some more photos in the bedroom, but they are high up, can you help me get them."

"Ah sure." He shakes it off and walks back to the bedroom.

Catherine excuses herself and makes her way back to the bedroom. Vincent is breathing heavily, his veins standing out. Fists clenched. His eyes are closed, but she knows if he opened them, they would be glowing.

"Vincent, just breathe, you are here with me, just be here right now in the moment with me. Whatever is going on with you, we will handle it."

Vincent calms down, and can sense Catherine's racing heartbeat. He is not the only one upset by the photo.

"I am sorry, it's just that….the man in the photo at your graduation…..he is the man from the helicopter."

Catherine takes a step back, the shock of what he is saying combined with her own deduction staggers her.

"Vincent, that man is an FBI agent. His name is Bob Reynolds. I met him at my father's…at Thomas's memorial, the same night I found you. He went out of his way to meet me, he told me that my Father was proud but always worried about me."

Catherine realizes who he is and the words rush out.

"I thought it was an oddly personal thing to say, at the time, but shook it off. Now it seems like he was talking about himself. Vincent I think Agent Reynolds is my real Father. Why else would he be at my high school graduation!"

They stare at each other. Unable to process what this means.

"Hey Cat, it's getting late, we are going to take off."

Her friends yell down the hallway. Clearly her attempt at subtle didn't work. She leaves Vincent and runs down the hallway.

"I am sorry…but I promise we will do this again soon."

Beth gives Cat a hug.

"No problem, if I had a man like that waiting in the bedroom for me, I would be impatient for my friends to leave too."

Cat laughed. That is what they thought? She wanted them gone so she could jump Vincent's bones. It was so absurd and off base, that Catherine laughed harder than she should have. At their questionable looks, she quickly recovered.

"Thanks for being so understanding, you guys are great. Let's not wait 10 years before we see each other again."

She closed the door behind them, leaning her head against the door she exhaled loudly.

"Now what?"

She asked herself quietly. But when your boyfriend is a beast with super hearing, nothing goes unnoticed.

"Now we find him, so I can kill him."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Catherine looks at Vincent, the anger is coming off him in waves. She has never seen him this angry. His voice was quiet and menacing.

"I mean it Catherine, he stole my life, and he has to pay."

Quietly she says.

"I know, Vincent and I understand, but he is not a beast. Plus he knows about beasts and he knew about Murfield. I understand your need for revenge and after the hell I went through this year, I want him to pay too, but I also want answers…..Don't you?"

Vincent paced back and forth Catherine's living room. He is still angry but can acknowledge she has a point. There are still Murfield assets out there and neither one of them can just walk away from that, they have to make it right. Frustrated, he plops down onto her couch. Rubbing his face.

"What do you suggest, because I am so mad right now, I can't think straight, Catherine, it is taking everything I have not to track him down and kill him."

Catherine is so proud of him. He always does the right thing, no matter what. Just one of the many things she loves about him.

"We need to continue to find the beasts threats that are out there and track him at the same time. There must be some way to punish him, or arrest him. He kidnapped you and tortured you, we can build a case around that."

Vincent thinks Catherine is being a bit naïve.

"How do we tie him into kidnapping me, without exposing me as a beast?"

"That I don't know, but if he is my biological Father, then maybe we can use that? Maybe instead of just assassinating beasts you start actually talking to them to find out what they know. Give them a chance to save themselves. They can't all be like Zach and Eddie Long, some of them might even be like you."

Catherine sensing that she is getting through to him continues.

"We need to put a stop to this once and for all Vincent. You took down Murfield, no one is hunting you anymore, but we need to make sure that since Reynolds has the ability to change you, he also doesn't have the ability to make more beasts."

"Catherine, Reynolds, if that is even his real name, is not going to just let me walk away. He clearly has a plan for me."

"I know, but he doesn't know that we have figured this out, we can use it to our advantage. Swallow your anger and let's work through the next target together and see what we can come up with. I know it's asking a lot of you Vincent, but if you kill Reynolds we have no way of knowing who or what he works for. This is bigger than revenge."

Vincent stands up and starts pacing the apartment.

"Dammit, you're right! I will try to keep it together, Catherine I really will, but right now all I can do is try."

Catherine takes Vincent in her arms. Holding him close, as if she can keep the darkness in him at bay.

"That is all I ask Vincent."

Vincent lowers his head and kisses her. It starts off gently, but the fire between them burns hot and fast. He lifts her up and she wraps her legs around his waist. His hands slide under her ass as he walks with her back to the bedroom. Setting her down on her feet he takes her face in his hands.

"This time we are going slowly. I want to watch you burn for me, I want to watch you come apart."

Catherine reaches up for him on her tiptoes and presses herself against him. He is warm and solid. An immovable force, she can feel the suppressed passion in him, he is fighting against his base nature. The beast in him wants to dominate her, but the man wants to treasure her. She can sense the battle being waged inside him and it makes her skin feel tight. Her chest rises quickly as she struggles to take a breath.

He trails kisses along her neck as her head falls back, eyes nearly rolling backward as his tongue traces along her sensitive skin. She pushes her pelvis into his, feeling him hard against her. His hands come around her, sliding down, cupping her ass and holding it hard against him. Catherine moans.

She starts to take Vincent's clothing off, desperate to have him naked, skin on skin. He chuckles at her frenzied attempt to take his shirt off. Stepping back from her, his gaze boring into her, he takes his clothes off. Suddenly he is standing before her in all his sexy glory. His sex jumps as her gaze travels down his body, she licks her lips, thinking to wrap her mouth around him. He can sense where her thoughts are leading her and he is determined this time to make it all about her.

He spins her around, pressing her ass against his cock. His hands come up to fondle her breasts as he takes off her shirt. His hands move down her belly, and dip inside her jeans. Catherine moans harder and presses into Vincent. He unzips and slides her jeans and panties down to the ground. His mouth ravages the back of her neck, hitting all of the sensitive areas. Catherine is panting now, she takes Vincent's hand and draws it to her center.

"Touch me Vincent, I need your hands on me."

She arches her back, putting her arms around his neck. This lifts her breasts and Vincent still kissing her neck, takes one hand and gives her nipple a tug, while the other hand slides down to her center finding her hot and wet for him. She cries out as he circles the tiny nub. Her hips making circling motions encouraging him on.

He laps his tongue up the side of her neck, tweaking her nipple. Whispering in her ears.

"Ride my hand Catherine, god you are so sexy when you are like this."

As he talks Catherine shatters. She arches back like a bowstring, every muscle tensing up. Vincent waits for her to come down and as he feels her relax he spins her around, picks her up and lays her on the bed. Catherine is covered in a fine sheen of sweat, her heart is still racing, and she is looking up at him, her gaze filled with love. She pulls him to her, welcoming him home. He buries himself inside her, and he is lost.

Vincent is sound asleep, or at least he was, until the shrill ring of his cellphone wakes him up. He grabs it, trying to get to it before waking up Catherine. Before he can say hello.

"Condor"

The sound of his handler's digitized voice, instantly puts Vincent on alert and he responds without thinking, his training-or brainwashing, kicking in.

"Yes Sir"

Vincent respond with military sharpness. He immediately cringes, recognizing his Pavlov like response.

"I have your next target. Are you near your computer?"

Vincent slides out of bed and walks out into the kitchen.

"Not at the moment Sir, but I can get to it quickly."

His handler barks at him.

"I don't know what's going on with you soldier, but you need to focus, we are almost done. One more beast after this one and you are finished. You are the only one who can stop these beasts. Do I have your attention?"

You have my attention you slimy piece of shit. Vincent of course only thinks these words.

"Yes Sir, send me the intel and I will take care of it."

"Very good Condor, call me back if you have any questions. This one is going to be tricky."

His handler disconnects before Vincent can respond. You have no idea, Vincent thinks to himself.

Vincent is making coffee, when Catherine slides up behind him. Wrapping her arms around him, she lays her cheek against his back.

"For a second I thought it was all a dream, I woke up and you were gone. And I was afraid that I had imagined that you got your memory back."

Vincent turns around.

"Nope, not a dream." He dropped a gentle kiss on her lips. "I remember everything."

Catherine sighed deeply.

"Vincent what are we going to do now? Your handler, my Father, how do we take him down?"

Vincent shakes his head.

"I don't know exactly. He called me this morning and told me he is sending intel on my new target. So maybe we can work together to get this new beast. What are you going to do about him being your father?"

Catherine scrunched up her nose.

"I have no idea, he obviously wants something, he has been hanging around, but I have no idea what it could be. Maybe I should wait and see what he does?"

"Or you could confront him and see what he says. Put him off guard, make him wonder how you figured it out. Better yet, take the picture from your graduation and ask him what he is doing there. See what his reaction is."

Catherine is not anxious to confront this particular "beast"

"Let's just focus on your mission for now and deal with him later. I'll jump in the shower and we can head back to the houseboat."

Catherine heads for the bathroom. Vincent turns back and takes a sip of his coffee, thinking about Catherine naked and wet in the shower. When Vincent turns around and heads for the bathroom, his eyes are glowing.

"No sense in wasting water." He says to himself as he sheds his PJ bottoms on the way to the bathroom.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Curt Windsor? That is the beast target? Seriously!"

Vincent and Catherine were reviewing the file on Vincent's next target.

"Curt Windsor is a financial tycoon, widowed, one child, Tori age 22. How in the hell can he be a beast? He is high profile, how could he hide it. This has to be a mistake."

Catherine read through the information.

"It says here that his penthouse is fortified, his daughter has tight security at all times. He sounds paranoid. But Tori spends time every night on the balcony. That could be your way in, blur past her, get inside…"

Yeah…then what. You really think he is going to have a sit down with me after I break into his penthouse. Especially if he is a beast, he will sense me coming and probably try to kill me."

Catherine senses Vincent's frustration, but thinks this will work.

"Look once you explain to him that you were sent to kill him, but aren't going to, maybe he will cooperate with you. He has everything to lose by being exposed and if he really is a beast, he will recognize that.

Vincent looks at her incredulously.

"What other choice do we have Vincent?"

"Fine…I'll go after Windsor, when are you meeting with Reynolds?"

Catherine's posture stiffen. She pushed her shoulders back.

"Right now, I am going to take that picture to him and demand some answers. If nothing else, maybe I can rattle him enough to take his attention off you. I am going to meet with him in about an hour. Why don't you call him while I am there? I want to watch his reaction talking to you, see what he does."

Vincent gathered Catherine into his arms.

"I can be waiting for you, when you get done. I hate the idea of you talking to him all alone. This won't be easy on you."

"Thank you, I am not looking forward to this. There is just so much I don't understand. But you are right I have to confront him. I have so many questions, maybe I can finally get some answers.

She steps out of his embrace and heads to the door.

"Hey"

She stops and looks over her shoulder at him.

"I love you."

Catherine smiles at him.

"I love you too, Vincent."

Catherine is standing on the other side of the door. She raises her hand to knock. Her heart is racing, her mouth is dry, palms sweating. Shaking her head at her own ridiculousness, she knocks.

"Come in"

Catherine opens the door and steps into Reynolds office. He looks up in surprise. NYPD didn't just usually show up at the FBI offices.

"Detective Chandler, did we have a meeting I forgot about?"

Catherine steps further into his office. Noting the lack of anything personal. No family photos. Did he even have a family?

"Ah no, but I wanted to talk to you if you have a minute."

He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk.

"Please have a seat, what can I do for you?"

Catherine leans forward and drops the picture from her high school graduation on the desk in front of him.

"You can tell me why you were at my high school graduation?"

Reynolds' is trying to hold it together, he stares at the photo for a long moment. She can see him trying to come up with a viable reason. She can see him struggle. Finally he closes his eyes in resignation.

"Catherine I can explain…."

"Really! Does this explanation include the fact that you are my biological Father?"

Catherine is pissed, her plan of coming in there and being all cool and collected went right out the window. She wants to yell and him and tear him apart for what he did to Vincent.

Reynolds has the decency to look ashamed and embarrassed.

"Look Catherine, I really want to talk to you about this, but now is not really the time…"

A phone rings. It's not his office phone, nor is it the cell phone on his desk. He pulls the ringing phone out of his jacket pocket. He looks down at the caller id. If Catherine wasn't looking for it, she would have missed his reaction. He was good. His eyes dilated and his breath caught, but he quickly took control of himself.

"Hello…..look this is not a good time right now, I am going to have to call you back."

He quickly hangs up and focuses on Catherine.

"I want the chance to explain to you, yes I am your father, but it is very complicated. Meet me tonight and give me the chance to explain everything to you. But right now I really have to deal with this phone call. I am sorry, I hope you understand."

He is looking at her so earnestly. If she didn't know better, she would be swayed by him.

"OK, tonight…7pm at Il Cantuccio."

He looked relieved.

"Thank you, Catherine."

As Catherine got up to leave, Reynolds grabbed the cell phone. She slowly made her way to the door and just as she was closing it she heard.

"Condor"

Catherine left the FBI building, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess in her head. She would have stepped off into traffic, had it not been for Vincent.

"Hey" He startled her, grabbing her before she stepped off the curb.

Catherine turned into him, and hugged him hard.

"Vincent, it's him. He admitted he is my father. You called him right? I heard him say Condor as he called you back. So he is your handler too?"

"Yes, he called back and told me to get Windsor tonight. To stop letting anything get in the way of the mission."

"I am meeting him tonight, he wants the opportunity to explain everything to me."

Vincent and Catherine looked at each other. They both could sense that this is turning point for them, something was coming, things were going to change and there was no turning back.

From the rooftop across from Il Cantuccio, Vincent is watching over Catherine as she meets with Reynolds. He wanted to go with her, but neither one of them was sure what he would do if he met Reynolds face to face. Everything in him is screaming at him to end Reynolds, but he wants to give Catherine the chance to find some answers and handle this her way. Vincent is still on edge, he might have his memories of Catherine back, but he is not the same Vincent he was before. He is an apex predator and while he might be able to control it better, it didn't change the bottom line. He is a beast. A beast programed and genetically enhanced to take out threats. That included Reynolds.

Catherine is nervous. She wished she could have had Vincent here with her, not sitting with her, but close by in the bar. She closes her eyes. She can do this! Opening her eyes and looking out the front window, she smiles. She can just barely make out Vincent up on the rooftop next door. He is always looking out for her. That smile vanishes as Reynolds walks in the door.

"Hey, I wondered if you were going to meet me."

"You said you wanted a chance to explain."

Reynolds sits down and orders a coffee. He takes off his overcoat and sets it beside him.

"Look Catherine, I know this might be hard for you to believe, but everything I did, was to protect you and to honor Vanessa's wishes."

"You want to blame my Mother for this?"

"No….no not at all. See your Mom and I were together and we loved each other very much. But our career's got in the way. Your Mom and I we disagreed about things…we started fighting all the time and then she got pregnant. I wanted to work things out, I really did, but your Mom had met Thomas by that time and she made me promise that I would stay out of your life, that I would let Thomas raise you as his own. I loved her enough to let her go. I loved you both enough to let you go. Thomas was a good man."

"I don't need you to tell me that."

"I know and I know I am doing a crap job at this, it's just complicated. I don't want to tarnish your memory of your Mom. But I was determined to see you and know you. I never missed the big events in your life. I just didn't realize that anyone had ever gotten me on camera. I am sorry, if this has caused you pain and I would very much like the opportunity to make it up to you. If you want I will answer any questions you have. Your Mom was an amazing woman, but she is gone now and there are things you need to know."

Catherine's heart is racing, Vincent can hear it all the way across the rooftop. Reynolds knows about him and Catherine, is he trying to warn her off, or find out how big a threat she is to him? He was in the helicopter that night he was taken, he had to have seen Catherine. Then Reynolds used Catherine to threaten him during his torture. Vincent asked him about Catherine after that first day, when she interrupted his mission with Zhao.

Catherine has slipped into detective mode.

"Do you know what Mom was working on?"

Reynolds was caught off guard.

"Well I know some things….What do you know about what your Mom was working on?"

Catherine decides to test him.

"I know about Murfield…..I know about her DNA experiments."

Reynolds slips into paternal mode.

"Catherine that world is dangerous, they killed your Mother, and you have to stay as far away from all of that stuff. Nothing good can come from what your Mom was involved with, you have to let it go!"

Vincent chuckled to himself as he watched her. Reynolds might have been watching out over Catherine her whole life, but he certainly didn't know anything about her.

Catherine bristled at being told what to do, especially by someone who had been absent her whole life.

"I never said I was involved with anything related to Mom's death, I am just trying to get justice for her murder. You do remember that part right? Murfield murdered her!"

Reynold's is stuck and he knows it, he can't confide to her that he knows about Vincent.

Cat keeps him on the hook just a little bit longer.

"Look Bob, I am just interested in justice. For Mom and for anyone else victimized by Murfield. Will you help me?"

Bob can't let her know that he had Vincent kill the head of Murfield and that there is no one left to get justice from. But he also wants to try and separate her from Vincent.

"I will see what I can dig up, but please you have to stay away from anything involving Murfield. They killed your Mom and won't hesitate to kill anyone in their way. They are dangerous, Catherine. "

She lets him think he has won….for now.

"Fine, I will. I have to go, but I would like to meet up with you again. I have a lot of questions about my Mom and maybe you could help answer those. There is no one left to protect anymore, they are all dead."

Catherine stands up and so does Bob, there is an awkward moment, neither one of them, know what to do. They both stand there. Bob wants to open his arms to her, but feels it's too soon. Finally Catherine breaks the tension.

"Thank you Bob, I will talk to you soon."

She leaves the coffee shop. Vincent watches as she heads to her apartment. He meets her there.

He enters through her French door. Some habits are just hard to break. He sweeps her up into a bear hug.

"I am so proud of you. You are so strong. I am not sure I could have done what you did just now."

"I just want this to end, Vincent. I want you to be safe and I want answers. We have to make sure that there are no more beasts out there and that Bob can't hurt anyone else. Then we take him down."

He kisses her. Pulling back he says.

"We have a couple of hours before we have to hit Winsor's. I can think of no better way of spending it than this."

He picks her up, kisses her and walks her back to the bedroom. Laying her down on the bed he crawls up to her. She smiles and opens her arms to him.

"Sounds good to me."

For a few hours they only have room for each other. No beasts, no Murfield. Just Vincent and Catherine.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Vincent watches the Windsor's balcony from the neighboring rooftop. Catherine is waiting in the lobby. When Vincent signals that Tori has turned off the alarm and is on the balcony, she is going to draw Windsor to his door and away from the balcony sliders. Hopefully between the 2 of them they can convince him to cooperate. He doesn't have much hope, the beasts he has come across so far, are not big conversationalists.

Vincent sees movement at the balcony doors. A very pretty young red head is coming out on the balcony. She sighs heavily, leaning against the railing. A glass of wine in her hand. Vincent hits send on his pre typed text to Catherine. _Tori on balcony…Go Time_. He leaps for the balcony, landing behind Tori and stealthily enters the penthouse.

Catherine knocks at Windsor's front door at the same time. Identifying herself as NYPD and requesting to speak to Curt Windsor.

Two security guards are flanking Mr. Windsor as he lets Catherine into the penthouse. Catherine explains that his life is in danger.

"Mr. Windsor, the NYPD has reason to believe that you are in danger."

He looks condescending at her.

"Detective I am a wealthy powerful man. I am in danger all the time, which is why I have the guards." He gestures to his private security team.

Vincent smiles to himself. He likes making an entrance. So he blurs into the room and takes out the 2 guards.

"As you can see, they are no match for what is coming."

Vincent is still human, only his speed gave him away. But Curt Windsor is also a beast and having two beasts in the same room, creates another problem.

Windsor's beast rushes to the surface to protect itself from Vincent and Vincent's beast doesn't want to miss the party. Both men quickly transform and crouching down roar at each other.

Tori chooses this moment to come into the room.

"Daddy! What…..what is happening."

Windsor's beast turns on her as a threat and grabs her by the throat.

"Vincent!"

Catherine yells his name as he attacks Windsor.

Vincent hits Windsor hard enough to loosen his grip on Tori.

"Get her out of here!"

Catherine immediately grabs Tori and heads to the elevator. She takes a second to look back over her shoulder at Vincent and Windsor locked in battle.

Vincent notices everything she does.

"GO…..Go get out of here."

With Vincent momentarily distracted by Catherine, Windsor delivers a blow that puts Vincent through the doorway and into the hall. Quickly getting up he grabs both Tori and Catherine and blurs away with them.

Back at the Gentleman's club, Vincent is pacing. Checking windows and doors and clearly agitated.

"It's not going to take him long to track you down, Catherine."

"I know and I still want to talk to him, but we need to make sure that Tori is ok. She can call her Dad and arrange a meet. This can still work Vincent."

He keeps pacing.

"I don't see how, he almost killed his own daughter, why would he talk to us. I have to go report into my handler. He is going to be wondering why I haven't called in."

Tori has been quiet just watching the two of them, going back and forth.

"Can someone please explain what is going on?"

Catherine feels sympathy for Tori, there is no good way to learn about beasts especially that your Father is one.

"Tori let me explain. Your Dad must have experimented with his DNA and it made him into what you saw."

Looking at Vincent, her big green eyes wide.

"Is he like that too?"

Catherine shook her head.

"No Vincent is different, he is not like your Dad. Vincent would never hurt anyone, but Vincent is special."

Vincent is across the room on the phone.

"Condor….there was a problem tonight Sir. Windsor's beast went crazy and tried to kill his daughter. It was everything I could do to get her out of there."

Vincent's handler is not happy that he kidnapped a wealthy famous heiress and did not accomplish his mission to kill Windsor.

"I am working it out Sir, she won't be a problem."

Tori can see the way the Catherine is looking at Vincent. It is clear even to her that Catherine loves him.

"I don't understand, when did this happen to my Father?'

Vincent is still pacing rechecking windows he already closed and checked twice. Comes over to her. He is clearly agitated. Tori shrinks back in fear from him.

Catherine is watching Vincent's behavior, something is clearly freaking him out.

Vincent tries to calm himself down, he can see the fear on Tori's face and the confusion on Catherine's.

"Tori your father was an early investor in Murfield. It is the company that experimented on me and made me what I am. But I am different. I would never hurt you, like your Father did. Have you noticed anything odd about him lately? Has he been acting differently?"

"He has been on edge, kind of like you right now, since my Mom died a couple of years ago. He never really got over her death. I think I remind him of her, he keeps me pretty close. No friends, no life, under close guard at all time. To tell you the truth it really sucks. This is the most out I have been in years."

Catherine still watching Vincent tries to explain to Tori.

"Tori, your Father has recently gotten on the radar of a man who is trying to rid the world of beasts. That man sent Vincent to kill your Dad, but we came to your house tonight to try and talk to your Dad, to see if he would help us."

Vincent sensing where Catherine is going cuts her off.

"Not anymore Catherine, Windsor's beast is too dangerous, he clearly doesn't have any control, and he almost killed his own daughter. He clearly likes being a beast. There is only one way this ends."

Catherine is alarmed at Vincent's tone.

"What is going on with you?

Vincent shakes his head, he can tell he is acting strange, he just doesn't know why or how to stop it.

Tori comes toward Vincent.

"My Dad would get like this too. I didn't understand it before, but maybe it's because he is a beast."

Tori moves closer to Vincent. She is compelled, drawn to him. She is staring at him. Catherine watches as the two of them stare at one another. As they get close, both of them cock their heads. Tori's breathing is increasing and for just a moment, Catherine swears she saw Tori's eye's glow. Tori ducks her head quickly and backs up.

"I'm sorry" She laughs nervously. "I don't know what came over me."

Vincent is staring at her. He has gone completely still.

"Catherine"

She has never heard that tone from Vincent before.

"Get Tori out of here now." His voice is laced with menace. Catherine looks at him and his eyes are glowing and the veins on his neck are standing out.

"NOW" He yells at her.

Catherine jumps up and grabs Tori. Dragging her away, they head for her car. Catherine calls JT.

"JT, I know you have class, but something is really wrong with Vincent. I had to leave him at your place. Can you please go and check on him."

"What happened?"

Catherine explains Vincent's erratic behavior and then his damn near catatonic reaction to Tori. JT agrees to head home immediately. He calls Vincent on the way.

"Hey buddy what's going on?"

Vincent sounds fine, just concerned.

"JT you gotta find Catherine. I think Tori is a beast and I am worried about Catherine's safety. I had a visceral reaction to Tori and I didn't want to hurt her, so I made Catherine leave with her.

JT is shocked

"WTF, Tori is a beast too. Let me call Tess and get her to Catherine's between the two of them they should be able to watch Tori."

JT calls Tess and explains the situation. JT arrives at the club.

"JT I am pretty sure that Tori is a beast. I had a reaction to her and it was crazy man. Ever since we brought her here, I was keyed up. I couldn't settle down. I could feel the violence in me. Catherine was coming up with a plan for Windsor and all I could think about was killing him. Catherine could tell something was wrong. Then Tori got close to me and I could feel the violence and rage building, but there was also heat man….. You know what I mean?"

Vincent looks ashamed.

"I mean she is a kid, but for a moment, my body didn't care. Luckily my brain was still working. I made Catherine leave with her. All I could think about was getting her away from me. As soon as she was gone so were all the crazy amped up feelings. I am fine now."

JT is shocked and doesn't really know what to say.

"Well… Tess was on her way to Cat's so I am sure they are all safe now."

He totally sideswiped the whole animal attraction thing. Unfortunately Vincent wasn't going to let it go that easy.

"How do I explain this to Catherine? I just got her back, JT and now I got to worry about beasting out and some sort of weird primal mating thing!"

JT knowing that Cat and Vincent always work things out, told him to talk to Catherine.

"Be honest with her, let her know what's going on. Face it Vincent, she probably has it all figured out anyway."

"OK, but can you go over to her house and watch Tori and have her meet me at the boathouse. This is not a conversation I want to have over the phone and I obviously can't be around Tori."

JT went to Catherine's. He gave Tori a good look over, but could sense nothing from her and she seemed totally normal. Is it possible that she doesn't know? JT told Catherine to meet Vincent at the houseboat. He and Tess would stay with Tori. Catherine had been uncharacteristically quiet. She didn't ask any questions of him about Vincent, she just left to go the boathouse.

Catherine drove to the boathouse, the more she thought about it, it was clear that Tori had an effect on Vincent. His behavior was so out of character. What was that strange staring contest they'd had? If she were to be honest, she can admit that she felt the heat between them. The tension between them had been palpable. She would not have been surprised to see them tear each other clothes off right there. Her thoughts were making her sick to her stomach. After everything they have been through, can't they just get a break?

Vincent had been sitting on his couch, when Catherine pulled up. He jumped to his feet at her approach. He can hear her heart racing and knows she is hurting.

Catherine slowly opens the door and steps in Vincent's living area. Her body language is tense, arms folded across her waist, in a protective posture. Her heartbeat is racing and her breathing is short.

Vincent stands there, staring at her. She seems afraid of me. He sadly thinks to himself.

"Catherine"

He says her name softly.

"Catherine come here."

He opens his arms.

Catherine looks at him. She doesn't move. He can see the pain he has inadvertently cause her.

Catherine is afraid to move. She wants to run into Vincent's arms and ignore everything going on around them. Everything she has been through up to this point she has been able to handle, but this…..this might be too much.

He can see her struggle. He takes a step toward her. She doesn't back up.

"Catherine, I know your upset, but you have to believe me when I say that I love you. That will never change, no matter what."

He takes another step closer.

"I need you in my arms right now. Catherine… I need you."

Vincent doesn't move. The next step has to be Catherine's. He stands there emotionally bared to her. She can see the pain and regret on his face, she can also see the naked truth of his feelings for her. So different on his face than what she saw with Tori.

She walks into his arms and buries her face into his chest. She struggles not to cry. She doesn't want to give in to this weakness, this doubt.

Vincent drops his head on Catherine's. They stand there holding on to each other, both of them determined to fight this latest threat no differently than they have fought every other threat…..together.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The houseboat rocks gently in its berth. The swaying back and forth mirroring Vincent and Catherine as they stand holding on to each other. Neither one of them wants to be the first one to let go. Not Catherine because she is afraid that this challenge may be too much. She just got him back and she feels that if she just holds on to him, if they just stay right here, it will be ok. Vincent doesn't want to let her go because he is worried, his reaction to Tori felt out of his control, he has spent over 10 years learning to control the beast within him. His greatest fear is that he will lose control and hurt the ones he loves. What if this is one part of being a beast he can't control.

Their thoughts swirl around in their heads, they both tighten their hold on one another. Vincent kisses the top of Catherine's head. Almost as if that was the signal, they both release each other and step apart. But Vincent still holds onto Catherine. Subconsciously he needs to be touching her. She grounds him.

In their nervousness they both start to speak at the same time.

"Are you ok?"

"Vincent I…"

They both laugh relieving some of the tension.

"I'd like to try and explain what happened, if you want me to?"

Catherine doesn't really want to hear this but knows, the only way they will fight this is together.

"I am not going to lie, this freaks me out. But I love you and I want to help you."

Vincent brings Catherine over to the sofa. Sitting down with her, he takes her hand.

"Tori is a beast. I am not even sure she knows. My mind is spinning and I'm still trying to work this out. The best I can come up with is….I keep coming back to her Dad. Maybe being around him, suppressed her beast and then being around me brought it out."

"Because you're an alpha male, you must have triggered something in Tori. She said her Dad got bad after the death of her Mom. Maye Tori's Mom was like me, she loved Windsor enough to calm his beast side."

Vincent caresses the side of Catherine's face. He can't imagine what he would be like without her. He has a moment of sympathy for Curt Windsor.

"Maybe, but it's more than that. At first I was agitated. Since first contact with Tori, I felt aggressive and angry. Uncomfortable in my own skin. I could see the effect I was having on you, I just couldn't do anything about it. Then when she got close, it turned into something else."

Vincent watches Catherine's reaction. She winces a little, but pushes through.

"Tori said her Dad was displaying the same aggressive unstable behavior. Maybe it's Tori doing that and she doesn't even realize it."

Catherine doesn't want to continue, but she realizes that if they are going to get through this they have to be brutally honest about what is going on.

"With you it's a little different, obviously her Dad doesn't react to her like you did. Your reaction was, animal, primal and sexual."

Her voice got very quiet at the end.

Vincent knows she is hurting, but pushes through determine to get to the other side.

"It wasn't just sexual, it was violent. Instinct was screaming at me to dominate her as well as….well you know. But my heart was also screaming at me that it wasn't real and my rational brain, could tell that something was wrong. That was why I had you get her out of there. I was in control, but I was afraid."

Vincent's voice grows quiet as well. He looks down in shame.

Catherine lifts his face to hers.

"I know this is hard for you, and it's not fair. You didn't ask for this. What it really boils down to is this….Is Tori doing this on purpose? If not can she learn to control it? Did her Dad inject her or did she inherit Beast DNA from him?

Catherine holds Vincent's gaze.

"I know you love me, I choose to trust in that. This may not be easy and it sure is awkward, but as long as we are honest about what we are feeling, we will be ok. I love you Vincent and I am not going anywhere."

Vincent grabs Catherine and holds her to him. He concentrates on her scent, the softness of her hair in his hands, the soft yet muscular feel of her body pressed up against his. He inhales deeply taking her into his soul.

"I never want to hurt you…you have to believe me." He says in a small quiet voice.

Catherine's heart breaks for him. How much can he take? Murfield, Her Father, and now this. How long until the man has had enough and retreats into the beast. Catherine is determined to hold on to him, to anchor him.

"Hey, you are not alone in this. I will be right here, always Vincent. We can figure this out."

They look at each other, they are drawn together like two opposite ends of magnets. Slowly leaning forward, breath mingling. Vincent is hesitant. Catherine is not, she closes the distance between them, kissing him. At first her lips gently touch his, her tongue darts out to taste. He opens to her and lets her set the pace. Mouths fuse, tongues duel. Vincent is overwhelmed by her. Her scent envelopes him. She tastes like honey and wine. She runs her hands through his hair, cupping the back of his neck. He stands up with her, picking her up in his arms. Crushing her to him. He lifts and turns her and she wraps her legs around his waist. He slides his hand to her ass, pulling her to him, she flexes her hips, seeking relief against the bulge she can feel at her center.

She arches her neck, she is throbbing for him. His tongue traces the long lines of her throat. She moans his name.

"Vincent"

That is all the encouragement he needs. He walks with her upstairs, still kissing her. Stopping at the edge of the bed and setting her down, he cups her face and kisses her deeply. He undresses her carefully, still so afraid that she will run away from him. But there is no fear of that. Catherine slides her hands up under his shirt. Loving the feel of him, the way the muscles along his abdomen ripple under her fingertips. She slides his shirt up and he stops touching her long enough to lift his hands and take it off. Catherine steps forward and kisses his chest, taking a moment to flick her tongue on his nipples.

Vincent is so hard for her. He quickly unbuttons his jeans and slides them down. His erection springs free, begging for her attention. She wraps her hands around him, sliding her finger through the bead of moistures that has collected at the tip. Her mouth starts to water. Vincent leans into her hands, she smiles secretly thrilled at the power she has over him. She kneels down and goes to take him into her mouth. Vincent stops her by pulling her up and kissing her. He is determined to show her how much he loves her, this is all for her.

He walks backward until the bed hits the back of his knees. Sitting down he draws her down on his lap. He wraps her legs around his waist, her hot wet center is pressed against the side of his erection. He holds her there, one hand on her face and the other against her back. He is lost in her eyes. She is his safe haven. Catherine lifts herself up and impales herself on him. Their eyes stay locked on each other as they start to move. Every part of her is entwined with him. She rides him, never taking her eyes off of him, trying to tell him without words how she feels about him. They continue the rhythm, lost in each other, slowly moving forward together. Their release when it comes is like a slow moving wave, they ride it out and as the wave breaks they return to each other.

The drive over to Catherine's apartment is quiet. Both Vincent and Catherine are lost in their own thoughts. Declarations of love, commitment and fighting together are easy to make when you are standing in the arms of the one you love. Living those words, in the face of circumstances out of your control is something else. Both of them are wondering if they have what it takes. Is love really enough.

Vincent and Catherine walk into her apartment hand in hand. Catherine steals a look at Vincent. He seems in control….so far.

"We were starting to wonder if you two were ever coming back." JT is a little testy. Tori is not the easiest girl to hang out with. It's not like we have much in common.

"Sorry JT we had to work some things out."

Ashamed, knowing how difficult this is for Vincent and Cat, JT sheepishly apologizes.

"I'm sorry big guy…..I know you are dealing with a lot. I didn't mean to add to it."

At first they all stare awkwardly at each other. No one is really sure what to say next. Catherine ever the fixer, is the first one to break the awkward silence.

"Tori…..we have something to talk to you about. You know what Vincent is….what your Dad is…right?

Tori looks totally confused, but Vincent senses her heart rate increase and can see her skin start to sweat."

"Yes, but what does that have to do with me?"

Vincent releases Catherine's hand and steps towards Tori. All at once the rage and anger hit him, his heart rate increases, his skin prickles, his thoughts are jumbled, and the instinct to lash out is upon him. His nostrils flare as they take in Tori's scent, it goes straight to his gut. And a little lower. He shakes his head.

Tori sees his reaction and her eyes glow, her skin tightens. The change frightens her. She takes a few steps back away from Vincent, which just causes him to move forward, his behavior reminiscent of a predator stalking his prey.

Catherine reacts without thinking, coming up behind Vincent she places her hand on his back.

Instantly Vincent returns to himself. He stops in his tracks.

Unfortunately it is not quick enough to prevent Tori from completely changing. Her beast rises to the surface to defend her. She roars at Vincent and backs up looking for a way to flee.

"Tori! Tori calm down, it's ok, and you don't need to be afraid. We can help you."

All 4 of them reach out to her, but she is beyond rational thought at this point. She blurs past them, and out the door.

Vincent moves like he is going to take off after her but is stopped by JT.

"Dude, you cannot go after her."

"Well I can't just let her go off scared and alone now can I?"

"I get that you want to help her Vincent, but come on. We all saw how you reacted to her. It was only Catherine touching you that brought you back, man. You can't take off after her, you will kill her or….."

JT didn't have to say what they all were thinking.

Vincent held his ground, it was only when Catherine came up to him, that he relaxed.

"Vincent what just happened."

He looks down at her. She is hurting, but trying to understand, trying to solve the problem. His face softens as he looks at her.

"Just like last time, only as soon as you touched me it went away. Almost like you blocked whatever she was giving off, your touch, brought me back to myself. I was in complete control. Unfortunately it was too late to avoid scaring the crap out of her."

Cupping Catherine's face in his hand.

"I have to go after her, to track her. She is terrified, she doesn't understand what is happening to her any more than I do. But I have been a beast for a very long time, this is all very new to her."

"Ok, I understand you want to help her Vincent, but then what. You find her and what…you can't control yourself around her, how are you going to help her. By attacking her, having sex with her? How does that help any of us?"

Catherine is struggling to keep it together, freaking out at the idea of Tori alone with Vincent.

JT is the only one thinking clearly.

"Look, just go together. Vincent you track and Cat….you keep a hold of him. Literally. It looks like as long as you are touching Vincent he won't lose control. Find Tori and see if she will listen to you, hopefully she has calmed down and isn't running all over Manhattan a beast. Take the tranq gun, just in case she is not in the mood to talk."

Vincent picks up JT in a big bear hug.

"Thanks man."

Vincent tracked Tori. It came as no surprise to either him or Cat that she would flee toward her penthouse. She was obviously more afraid of Vincent at the moment than her own Father.

"Well the plan was talk to her Dad, I guess we just do it now?" Catherine asked Vincent the question, but she really wasn't sure she actually wanted an answer. She did not want to take on Curt Windsor right now, especially knowing that if Tori was home, they were facing off against two beasts.

Vincent is anxious to get the job over with, so he can concentrate on getting his life with Catherine back.

"Look if we go up now, we should be safe, he can't just kill both of us in the middle of the day. Maybe this will convince him that we don't mean him or Tori any harm."

Catherine is surprised.

"Tori really did have an effect on you, a little bit ago you wanted to kill him."

"Come on…you know that is not the real me. I want this over and I want your Dad to pay, but I heard what you said back at the houseboat. We will get him the right way….the legal way."

Curt Windsor sees Catherine and Vincent coming on the video monitors.

"Let them up." He radios down to his building security.

Vincent and Catherine are surprised when they are waived onto the elevator and told that Mr. Windsor was expecting them.

Catherine holds Vincent's hand as the elevator ascends.

"Just don't let go ok." Vincent lifts their paired hands and kisses the back of Catherine's.

Smiling up at him, trying to be brave when her heart is beating a million miles an hour, says.

"Never."

The elevator door opens and two heavily armed guards, meet Vincent and Catherine and escort them to Windsor. Catherine notices that the guards are armed not with just pistols but tranquillizer guns as well.

They enter his study, Windsor is casually dressed seated behind his desk. Tori is also present. Vincent gives her a once over and she appears to be fine.

"Please have a seat. I want to apologize for how things went down last night. Tori tells me that you came here to help me."

Turning specifically to Vincent.

"I am sorry I lost control. I have already apologized to Tori. I had no idea there were any beasts left in the world and I did not know that Tori's beast had emerged as of yet. Now that I know you exist, that won't happen again. I actually owe you a debt. Tori explained to me the effect she has on you Vincent and made me see my recent behavior in a whole new light."

Catherine and Vincent exchange a look….Is this really happening?

"Let me try and explain. I am sure you have many questions. I was an early investor in Murfield. I knew your Mother, Catherine. She was a wonderful woman. You see, I was born a beast. I invested in Murfield not to become a beast but to learn how to control my beast. My family has always had money. And most of it was earned through force and intimidation. In my family, the beast gene does not always express itself. And when it does it usually doesn't kick in til early adulthood. Luckily for me, I had already met and fallen in love with my wife. She helped me control it, in the beginning. But I didn't want to be a burden to her."

Vincent looks down at Catherine's hand clutched in his own. Keeping him calm.

"I sought out Murfield to learn how to control my beast side. I thought it had worked, but now I am not so sure. Between my wife dying and Tori's beast rising. It is clear to me now, that I have been under the influence of my beast side for far too long. Maybe it really was my wife that whole time keeping me under control."

"As for Tori, I just missed the signs. I am sorry that she caused you trouble. Now that I know she is a beast, I can teach her how to control herself and the pheromones she gives off."

Tori interrupted him.

"I am sorry to both of you, for any trouble I caused between the two of you. I didn't know what was going on and I didn't mean to act that way. I just couldn't help it."

Vincent and Catherine are too stunned to speak for a moment. They look at each other. Catherine still has a death grip on Vincent's hand.

"Right now, Catherine's touch is the only thing keeping me calm. Tori did affect me, both the way I felt and the way I thought. Is it really possible for beasts to be in the same room with one another and not want to rip each other's heads off?'

Windsor nodded his head.

"Yes and its actually very simple. Catherine try letting go of Vincent. I already talked to Tori about what to do. Stay close to him, in case it doesn't work, but no time like the present to try it."

Catherine looked at Vincent. He nodded his head. She gently let go of his hand, keeping close to him, just in case.

Vincent took a deep breath and waited…..

Nothing. He felt nothing.

"How did you do that?"

Windsor points to Tori. She had a very determined focused look on her face.

"She is doing most of the work, but you have very good control already Vincent. It was just the fact that she took you by surprise. Now that she knows and you know, it's easy to control. Tori can control her pheromones just like we can control our claws or teeth. You have the ability I assume to tap into your beast and only use the attributes that you need to at one time. Tori's pheromones are similar. Females are able to regulate their pheromones as a defense measure. Since she was unaware of what she was doing, she was just dumping them out all over the place."

Tori interrupted him again. Her voice strained.

"Cat could you take his hand please."

Catherine grabbed Vincent's hand. Tori exhaled deeply.

"Sorry, I am trying and learning, but it takes a lot of effort to control and I don't want to accidentally set him off."

Windsor gets up and pours two drinks. He hands each of them a glass.

"Take a shot….it will help. Now that I have explained myself, perhaps you will do the same?"

Catherine and Vincent down the shot. Vincent actually holds up his glass. Windsor smiling refills it.

"The military and Murfield made me what I am. I hid for 10 years until Catherine found me. Last year I was kidnapped, my mind was erased and my beast was enhanced. I was set free a few months ago and tasked with cleaning up Murfield's mess. Catherine found me, I got my memories back, but there is still the matter of my handler. The man who sent me to kill you and the man who kidnapped and brainwashed me."

"He also happens to be my Father and an FBI agent."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Curt Windsor took the news pretty well that Vincent had been sent to assassinate him. He actually felt bad for Cat and Vincent. Kidnappings, Daddy issues, memory loss. He was impressed by how united a front they presented, given everything they had been through.

"What can I do to help? I owe both of you a debt. I would like to think I that I would not have actually hurt Tori, but truth is, I just don't know. So as far as I am concerned, you saved her life."

Vincent spoke for them.

"We are trying to take down Reynolds…legally."

Glancing at Catherine.

"He works for the FBI but he must work for someone else too. I don't want to believe that the FBI knows about beasts and Murfield."

We need him to incriminate himself, which is the only way this will work. We were hoping to be able to use you to get to him. I know it's a lot to ask…."

"Think nothing of it. So we make him think you accomplished your mission?"

"Not exactly….I want to make him think I failed. That you killed me. He claims there is one more beast after you that needs to be taken down. If he thinks I am dead, we can see what he does next. Does he contact his superiors? Does he have the ability to make another beast, or does he have access to other beasts? If we can get him on tape, trying to coordinate another attack on you, we can take him down."

"Sounds like fun. Do you have a place to hide out Vincent after I kill you?"

Vincent and Catherine exchange looks. That was one detail they had yet to work out.

"I have a cabin outside the city. It's only about 45 min away. Far enough that no one would think to look for you and close enough to get back and forth. You are welcome to use it."

Catherine and Vincent are taken aback by Windsor's generosity.

"Thank you, this is really more than we expected."

"Think nothing of it….you two remind me of my wife and I. We lived a good life and she gave me Tori. If she were here, she would do the same. Good luck and I will see you tomorrow night."

Vincent and Catherine return to the houseboat. They decide not to update JT and Tess on the plan. They need the two of them to genuinely think Vincent is dead in order to sell this. Vincent and Catherine take a moment to reflect on what they are doing.

"Is this the right thing to do?…..Tess and JT are going to be pissed!"

"Yes they will, but if this works and everyone can go back to living a normal life, won't it be worth it? I would rather JT never talk to me again and be free of all this."

"How do we play this with Reynolds?"

"He can't admit that he knows about us. So play it up normal. Use my death as an excuse to get close to him, you talked to him about Murfield already, so tell him a _friend_ was killed by Murfield and you need his help. Also play on the…..you need your Dad while you're grieving and all that. Should make it easier to get close enough to him to bug him."

Catherine rolls her eyes when he says Dad.

"Ugh"

Vincent smiles at her and kisses the top of her head. He stretches out on the couch, bringing her with him.

"It's going to all work out and then we can all be free and start living our lives."

"We deserve that…you deserve that."

The next day Vincent and Catherine act like nothing has changed, Catherine goes to work and actually focuses on police cases for a change. Tess is mildly suspicious but doesn't say anything. Vincent touches base with his handler.

"This is Condor. I am taking another shot at Windsor by tonight it will all be over."

"What happened with Tori?"

"She won't be a problem sir."

Vincent let Reynolds think what he wanted. If he thought he killed Tori, so be it.

"Condor, make sure you check in with me as soon as you accomplish your mission. It's important."

"Yes Sir."

A few hours later and it's time for Vincent to go. Catherine holds him close to her, even though she knows this is all fake, and she trusts Windsor, she is still worried.

"Hey….everything is going to be ok. Meet me up at the cabin as soon as you can. I love you. Don't worry."

Catherine pulls Vincent's face to hers and kisses him hard.

"I can't help it, I will always worry about you. I love you too."

Catherine watches as Vincent walks out the door. Then she waits.

Vincent arrives at Windsor's penthouse. To make it look good, Windsor and Vincent fight just enough to destroy some furniture and give Windsor enough bruises to make it look legit. After thanking Windsor, Vincent takes off to the cabin. Now all he can do is wait.

The next morning, Catherine calls JT.

"JT do you know where Vincent is? He went out last night to deal with Windsor and he hasn't come home, and he is not answering his cell."

JT tells her he has not heard from Vincent. Catherine asks him to check CCTV and see if he can find Vincent.

"Catherine I think you need to come over here right away."

When Catherine walks in the Gentleman's club, JT is pacing back and forth and Tess is with him.

"Hey what's going on?"

JT and Tess look at each other. Neither one of them want to break the news to her.

"Seriously guys what is going on, you are scaring me."

JT swallows hard.

"Look, I am not sure of anything but you need to see something and I need you to be prepared. I might have found Vincent and its bad Cat….really bad." JT voice broke as he spoke.

Catherine shakes her head.

"Just show me JT."

JT hits the play button and Catherine watches the video. She sees Vincent enter Windsor's building.

"Ok so we know he went to Windsor's I told you that already."

JT switches video feeds and zooms in on Windsor's penthouse. It's not clear, but it looks like there is some kind of fight going on inside.

JT switches video feeds again, and warns Catherine.

"Here is the part I am worried about."

Catherine sees Windsor's security detail coming out the back of the building with what appears to be a body bag. They dump in into the trunk of a vehicle and take off.

Catherine stands there looking at the tape. She knows it's fake, but seeing it, she can feel the loss of him already.

She looks up at JT her eyes tearing up.

"There is one more."

JT switches feeds one last time to Windsor's balcony. There they see a beat up Windsor comforting his daughter, Tori.

"Cat, Windsor is obviously still alive and we haven't heard from Vincent..." He stops talking.

Catherine hates how much he is hurting, but to keep them safe, she will do anything. So she goes with it. She starts to cry.

"This can't be happening. I just got him back, JT."

She turns into him and he wraps her up in a great big hug. Tess starts to cry as well and he opens his arms up to her as well. All three of them stand there together, holding on to each other, mourning Vincent. Best Friends and Lover.

After some time has passed, Catherine steps back and looks at both of them.

"I don't believe it, it can't end this way. JT, we have to find him, even if it's just his…..can you track that car?"

"I can try."

Catherine wipes her eyes and clears her throat.

"Ok, you do that I am going to see Bob, Vincent had a handler and I want to know who it was. Maybe he can help. I have nothing to lose now in telling him the truth."

Both JT and Tess look at her like she has lost her mind.

"Look, I won't mention you guys at all, but maybe he can help me figure things out."

Catherine headed over to the FBI, she had to stop herself from calling Vincent, and she so badly wanted to hear his voice. Pretending he was dead was painful. She felt terrible for lying to JT and Tess, but it needed to seem real or she didn't think Bob would help her. Besides, just pretending he was dead was bad enough. She is now more than ever determined to end this and free him.

Catherine knocked on Reynolds office door.

"Come in"

Catherine worked up her tears and entered the office.

"Dad", she said tearfully.

Alarmed, Reynolds came around his desk and held out his arms to her.

"She walked into them and sobbed against him."

"What happened? Why are you crying?"

He handed her a tissue. She pulled back from him and wiped her face and blew her nose.

"I think Murfield just killed my boyfriend. I need your help."

Vincent had wanted her to say her friend had been killed, but she decided to go with the truth.

"What!"

Reynolds actually appeared upset.

"Tell me what happened."

"Vincent, that is…was my boyfriend. He worked for Murfield….at least I think he did. He was an operative for them, he went on missions and he had a mission last night and he never came back. I did some checking on my own and saw video of a body bag being taken out of the location he…."

She broke down crying again.

Reynolds pulled Catherine in for another hug. He thinks about what to do with this. If Vincent is really gone then Catherine is finally safe. Maybe now is the time, maybe he should tell her what is really going on?

"Catherine, sit down. I have something I want to tell you."

He helps Catherine into one of his office chairs. He grabs some tissues and offers them to her. Catherine accepts the Kleenex and blows her nose and wipes her eyes.

"Catherine, the other day when we talked, I told you that everything I did was to protect you. Do you remember that?"

Catherine nods her head.

"Of course."

Reynolds takes a deep breath.

"Your Mother was involved in genetic research. Specifically DNA research. My company at the time was interested in her work. Eventually we started working together. Vanessa on the research and me on the application of that research. We fell in love. Vanessa was the smartest most beautiful woman I had ever met. But as often happens, our work got in the way of our relationship. We had two different goals. In the beginning it didn't matter so much, but after a while, we started fighting. She didn't agree with what my company wanted to do with her research. We eventually broke up, like I told you before. After several months apart, I saw her again. She was obviously pregnant, but already involved with Thomas. Also like I said earlier, I agreed to make no claim on you. But I kept tabs on you, close tabs after Vanessa was killed."

Catherine was getting frustrated.

"What does this have to do with Vincent?"

"I am getting to that. Even though your Mom and I were no longer together our companies were still working together. About 15 years ago, the project, "Murfield" had come far enough to start human clinical trials. The military agreed to have its soldiers be the guinea pigs, if they could have a first shot at the final product. Then 9/11 happened and the military needed the finished project quickly. Shortcuts were taken and eventually soldiers were experimented on. Your Mom to her credit stayed with the soldiers and tweaked the protocol as the project was ongoing. But something went wrong, violently wrong. The military decided to end the program and again, my company was tasked with terminating anyone who had been involved in the project. Your Mom got away. I don't know how, but they caught up to her eventually. I tried to stop them and protect her, but it had gone higher than me by that time.'

He took her hands.

"I know you know what Vincent is….was. I know that you think you love him, but Catherine he is…was dangerous. I am sorry that you are hurting."

Catherine jerked her hands out of his and quickly stands up. She paces around his office.

"This is crazy, yes I know what and who Vincent is….but he is good. He helps people. He loves me. Someone kidnapped him and erased his memory and still he fought to come back to me. I can't believe what you are telling me. You knew all this time what happened to my Mom? You knew who Vincent was? Do you know who kidnapped him last year? Do you know who was sending him on these missions? "

Reynolds wasn't ready to share everything with Catherine.

"I knew about Vanessa and I knew about Vincent, but I don't know who took him and I don't know who he is working for now."

Catherine leaned against Reynolds desk.

"Will you help me now, can you find out who took Vincent? Can you find out who his handler is?"

"I can try."

Catherine hugged him and told him she would be in touch. She turned and left his office, he did not see her smirk nor did he notice the little blinking light under his desk from the listening device Catherine had planted.

Catherine wanted to take off and see Vincent, she needed to tell him about everything Reynolds had told her. Just enough to make her trust him, but not the whole truth. Cause then he would have to admit that he kidnapped Vincent and was actually his "handler". But she had to deal with JT and Tess first.

JT was "three sheets to the wind" when Cat returned. Scotch and gummy worms had become his new best friends. Tess was watching over him. After hugging Cat, Tess looked at JT.

"I am so sorry Cat, but he is a mess right now. I am just letting him wallow and keeping him safe. Is there anything I can do for you? I am worried about you, it's like before when he was taken, you didn't deal with it, just threw yourself into finding him. You are doing the same thing now. Shutting down and focusing on finding out who is responsible. You can't keep pushing down your emotions. I mean JT is a mess, but at least he is grieving."

Cat closes her eyes and digs deep for strength. Seeing JT in such pain, hurts and it's not hard to turn that into fake grief for Vincent. Feeling like a monster herself for lying to them she starts to cry.

"I can't do this right now….I am sorry, I just need some time alone. You're right I have to deal with this, but I have to do it, my way. I will be in touch, take care of JT….I just need some time alone."

She goes up to JT and hugs him. He blubbers unintelligently about missing his best friend. Walking out on them is one of the hardest things she has done. It's in their best interest, she keeps telling herself as she gets in her car and drives towards Vincent.

Vincent comes out onto the porch as Catherine pulls into the driveway. He can hear her heartbeat and sense the pain she is in. He hates himself in that moment. Hates the pain he is always causing the ones his loves. But that self-hatred doesn't last as Catherine gets out of the car, races up the steps and hurls herself into his arms. Holding her spreads a balm over the self-loathing. He buries his face in her neck, feeling her skin against his lips. He can't be that bad, if someone like her loves him, can he?

She is shaking, crying. Her guilt is eating at her. She holds tight to him, he is alive and safe and somehow, someway they will beat this. Here in his arms, she feels like everything is possible. Tess and JT will forgive them and they will get their happily ever after.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Vincent held Catherine in his arms, letting her cry. She had the tougher job here. Lying to their friends and dealing with her Father. He could imagine that the stress of it all was overwhelming her. He was so proud of her. She truly is the strongest person he knows. After a few minutes, she pulls back, wipes her face and smiles up at him.

"Thank you, I needed that."

She comes up on her tip toes and kisses him gently.

"I needed that too."

Vincent tightens his hold on her.

"Anytime….are you ok?"

Catherine shakes her head.

"Yes, or at least I will be. It was really hard lying to JT. Vincent he is devastated. Drunk on scotch and gummy worms. We have to fix this quick so we can let him know you're alive. Watching him, just guts me."

Vincent pulls her close again. Touching her, the only thing keeping him grounded. When what he really wants to do is find Reynolds and slit his throat.

"He will forgive us. I know him, don't worry he will forgive us. What happened with your Father?"

As they go inside, Catherine fills him in. Watching him process it all, something crosses her mind. Without really thinking it through, she asks him.

"Vincent are you the reason my Mom made it home safe. Is that why you were there the night she died? Is that why you were able to save me?"

Vincent stops abruptly. The bottom drops out of his stomach. He stands there, eyes closed. He knew this day would come. He listens to her heart. It is racing. He should have told her a long time ago, but he was trying to keep her safe last year, she would have run off like a crazy person and gotten herself killed and him exposed. Then things spiraled out of control, then his memory was wiped. He of course now remembers it all, but it just didn't seem important after all this time.

"Catherine….yes to both."

He stands there, arms at his side, hands open. He is watching her. He wants to explain why he never told her, but he is not sure of her reaction, will she give him a chance?

He is surprised.

Catherine drops to the couch. Head in her hands.

"Of course you were, it makes sense, how my mom escaped…how you just happened to be there the night she was killed to rescue me….you keeping tabs on me."

She looks up at Vincent. He is frozen, his fear written all over his face. She jumps up and wraps her arms around him.

"Vincent…I get it. When we first met, if you had told me the truth I would have gone off halfcocked and crazy to find the truth and only ended up getting myself and possibly you killed. I know my weakness, I am like dog with a bone when I want something. That makes me a really good detective, but not so good at protecting myself or others when it comes to Murfield, and when we met I was so focused on finding out what happened to my Mom, I never would have listened to you. You lied to keep me safe and I get that. I really do."

Vincent is speechless…..

"You're not mad at me?" He can't believe she is not angry with him.

She gestures to him to sit down next to her. Taking his hand in hers. She holds on to him.

"Vincent, we are lying to our best friends right now to keep them safe. What kind of person would I be if I judged you for doing the same thing?"

Vincent is still shocked. He just stares at her.

Catherine smiles at him, tugging on his hands.

"There are some questions I have, if you wouldn't mind telling me now? I promise not to run off all crazy. We have nothing but time."

"What do you want to know?'

Catherine takes a deep breath and Vincent squeezes her hand.

"Tell me about Afghanistan."

Vincent is quiet at first. Thinking back on that time. The emotions rise to the surface. The fear, the pain and the confusion.

"You already know that your Mom looked after us. She was worried that the military was pushing the experiments too far too fast. Especially after Lafferty's fugue event. There was a raid. It ended up being the last raid that left the compound. I was not a part of it, but something went wrong. The base, went crazy. One minute were working out, or training and the next minute I hear shooting, on the base. For some reason your Mom was the first person I thought of. I ran to medical and overheard her fighting with one of our unit commanders. He threatened her and I intervened."

Vincent lifts Catherine's hand to his mouth and kissed it.

"That was the first time I saved a Chandler. She told me that the project and all of us were being exterminated. We escaped. Until Zach found me, I thought we were the only ones who had. We made our way back to the states and to NY. Your Mom actually hid me out, for about a year, until that night…"

Catherine is riveted. She and Vincent's life is much more entwined then she ever knew.

"Your parents' house in West Chester was the perfect hide out. There was plenty of woods nearby, I could let the beast out and it seemed to help me keep him under control. I actually slept in your basement sometimes. During the day when everyone was gone, I would shower and eat. I don't remember seeing you at the house, but I saw your picture."

Catherine could tell that Vincent was lost in his memories, his face softened as he continued talking.

"One day I was inside, eating or something and I just kept staring at your photo, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Your Mom had mentioned college and law school and how smart you were. I would stare at you, I was mesmerized and then later… haunted."

Shaking his head he returned to the present.

"I remember Heather as well."

He chuckled.

"She almost caught me once or twice. I shadowed your Mom, I was sure that Murfield would come for her once they figured out that we hadn't died in Afghanistan. She wouldn't hide, she just got a job at the local hospital and lived her life. Almost daring them to come after her. I guess it lasted just about a year. Until the night she was killed. She left the house to come help you and I followed her just like I always did."

He stopped there for a minute, listening to Catherine's heart, making sure she was ok.

Catherine nodded her head, she wanted him to continue.

"That was the first time I saw you. The pull I felt to you, even then was so strong, that it blocked everything else out. I was so focused on you, that I didn't hear them coming, I didn't pick up anything until they started shooting and of course by then it was too late for your Mom. It all happened so quick, you took off running…them chasing you and me chasing them. I became so enraged at what they had done to Vanessa and what they were going to do to you, the beast just broke whatever control I thought I had built up and slaughtered those men."

Vincent hung his head, just for a moment in shame. Catherine recognized his behavior and once again placed her hand on his cheek and made him look at her.

"You saved my life, Vincent."

He nods his head, acknowledging her. Gazing into her eyes, he said.

"The way you looked at me that night….you had no fear of me, you were confused and scared, but not of me. I wanted to pick you up and run off with you, but the beast was in control that night. I watched you…..call the police. Watched the ambulance check you out. Heard you talk to the police, and saw the way they looked at you. I figured the fact that no one believed you would keep you safe. I had no idea it would be such a burden to you. I am so sorry for that."

Catherine kissed him gently. She crawled up into his lap. Wrapped her arms around him and burrowed into him.

"Thank you for saving me and thank you for giving me the extra time with my Mom. If you hadn't gotten her out of Afghanistan, she would have died there."

He smiled as he held her. She felt so good in his arms. She felt like….home.

"After that night, I found JT and you know the story from there. I kept tabs on you over the years just to make sure you were safe. And to be honest, I couldn't get you off my mind. I think you were saving me all that time. I never gave in to my beast side. I tried every cure JT cooked up. I didn't have a plan to come find you or anything, but you were always there. That morning when you first came to the warehouse, when I saw you the first time. I told JT who you were. He just about lost his shit. I know I have said this before, but it really was the best day of my life."

Both of them are quiet. Each lost in their own memories of the past. Catherine accepted a long time ago that her Mother's death was not her fault. Thanks to Vincent. They both reacted the best they could to circumstances beyond their control. That is all they could do, just keep moving forward.

Vincent had the equipment set up at the cabin to listen to Reynolds. It didn't take long for them to get their first hit. Reynolds called someone, but he didn't introduce himself or say who he was talking to.

"Vincent Keller is dead."

A digitized voice responded.

"Are you sure?'

"Yes, my daughter came to see me, she is…was involved with Keller and I made some discreet inquiries. There was an incident at Curt Windsor's place last night and Det. Chandler took some time off of work, and her partner seemed pretty shook up."

Catherine and Vincent exchanged a look. It was a good thing JT and Tess didn't know he was alive.

"So we need to activate another asset. Windsor must be eliminated, at least now we don't have to eliminate Keller."

Catherine put her hand on Vincent's arm to calm him. To remind him of the bigger picture.

Reynolds continued.

"I think we need to activate Nixon. Windsor is high profile and took out Keller. He is going to ready for us next time. Nixon has what we need at this point. If for some reason we can't contain him after, we can take him out, like we planned to do with Keller. I am ready for this to be done. Windsor is the last NY threat. I want out of this."

Vincent and Catherine looked at each other. Surprise on both of their faces. Reynolds wants out?

"I have reconnected with my daughter and I want to put all this business behind me. I will help you clean up NY, then I am out. Is that clear."

The digitized voice responded.

"We shall see about that. This is not something you can just walk away from Reynolds. Things just don't stop because you want them to. Maybe you should consider bringing your daughter into the family business. After all it's in her blood….isn't it"

Reynolds lost it.

"Listen, I said I will help, but you keep my daughter out of this. I have done everything you asked. I took down Murfield!"

He was interrupted.

"Yes, using your daughter's pet to get that done. Keeping Keller alive instead of terminating him like you were ordered to. Returning him to NY, instead of anywhere else in the world. And then you lost control of him and now he is dead…useless to us. You went off plan when you captured Keller instead of Lowan. But no more. The plan is to eliminate all the Murfield assets in NY. Windsor is the last one. I am not releasing another dangerous predator to make your job easier. Get it done!"

The call was disconnected. Cat and Vincent could hear Reynolds muttering under his breath but not make out what he was saying.

Vincent looked shell shocked. The phone call made it seem like Reynolds had saved his life and put him back in play in NY so that Catherine would find him.

"Vincent…..Vincent?"

He turned from her and started for the door. Looking over his shoulder at her he said.

"I am sorry, I just need minute."

He blurred away.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Vincent blurred away from the cabin and from Catherine. He didn't go far, but he had to get away. His emotions are all over the place. Rage, guilt, fear. He stopped suddenly, still in beast form, claws digging into the tree, grounding him as he panted, hanging his head and breathing deeply. It was too much, he was supposed to believe that being kidnapped, tortured, and made to kill, was for his own good? God, it felt like all they did was hurt each other.

He closed his eyes and let the memories wash over him. Being torn away from Catherine, his fear for her. The devastated look on her face, and how that look had haunted him in the beginning of his captivity. Giving up and being tortured and turned into the very monster he had always been afraid he was. Then Catherine finding him, the hurt look on her face when he didn't remember her. Even getting his memories back, made him realize that he truly had become a monster, a killing machine acting on orders with no thought to the humanity of the beasts he was killing. He let loose with an agonized roar, letting the beast in him handle the onslaught of emotions.

Catherine walking through the woods, stumbled when she heard Vincent's roar. The sound tore at her heart. She wouldn't leave him out here alone, he had been alone for too long already. She picked up her pace, running through the woods, towards him. This was something they were going to face together. Her father had hurt him, and she was determined that no one would ever hurt him again. She kept moving forward, towards Vincent. She came upon him. He was sitting on the ground, head down, with his hands covering his head.

"Vincent." She said his name softly. He didn't move. Catherine squatted down to his level. She kept her distance, just in case.

"Vincent….let me help you, please…you don't have to go through this alone."

He looked up at her. Catherine inhaled sharply at the pain etched onto Vincent's face. His eyes were sunken in his face, his cheek bones stark and white against the shock of dark hair. He looked like he had aged 10 years. He would not maintain eye contact with her. He dropped his head again.

"Go away, Catherine…I can't keep doing this, I can't keep hurting you."

"Vincent I am not going anywhere, stop pushing me away. We will get through this just like we have gotten through everything else. Together!"

Vincent shakes his head. "No…no we won't. However it's happened, I am a monster. I always have been. You….you loving me made me forget for a while, but look at me, look at what I am capable of. Your Father is right, I am a killing machine and I am good at it. As long as I am around you, you are going to get hurt. Every time I close my eyes, I see the look on your face when I was taken away. The same look on your face as when you found me, after searching for three months and I didn't even remember you. I gave up, I let you go. I don't deserve you. Everyone already thinks I am dead."

He stood up, back braced against the tree. Catherine mimicked him, standing up to face him.

"Vincent, I can see what you are thinking and no….no…please, don't let them win now. After everything we have been through, we are so close. Don't do this, not now." Tears are starting to gather in her eyes, her throat closing around the words. She can tell by his face that she is not getting through to him.

He is staring at her, almost as if he is trying to memorize her. His gaze drops to her lips. He wants to kiss her one last time. To leave with the taste of her in his mouth. He wants to hold her and take her into himself. He takes one hesitant step toward her, his arm lifting slightly, as if he can't stop himself from touching her. But he does, his arm drops to his side.

"Please don't do this, Vincent. I love you."

Vincent shuts down, he closes his eyes as protection against the look he sees on Catherine's face. All he does is hurt her, she deserves better, and she deserves a man who can make her laugh instead of cry, whom she can be proud of, instead of putting herself at risk trying to save.

He takes several steps back away from her. His heart breaking. His voice is broken, choppy and it is hard for him to get the words out.

"I will always love you…. thank you for loving me, but you deserve better and I know this hurts right now, but you will see it will get better. I want you to find happiness Catherine and I…I can't make you happy."

Catherine is not trying to hide her pain from him now. Tears are streaming down her face, she reaches out to him.

"Please Vincent….please don't leave me again."

Vincent closes his eyes, turns and walks away.

Catherine's knees give out, and she collapses on the ground. Vincent can hear her sobs, and he stops just for a second…then head down, he continues through the forest, leaving her behind.

"VINCENT" Catherine screams.

The sound of her pain, causes Vincent to stumble, catching himself on a tree branch he stops and looks back.

"I'm sorry." Vincent whispers into the wind.

"Pull up over here." JT directs Tess off the side of the road.

"Where is she?" Tess is worried about Cat. JT got a phone call from Vincent. All Vincent said was sorry and then told JT where to find Catherine. He hung up before JT could even process that he was alive. But the tone in Vincent's voice left no room for second guessing. JT needed to find Catherine immediately.

'CATHERINE" JT yells into the woods. "CATHERINE"

Catherine stumbles out of the woods. She is dirty and disheveled, her tears have left dirt tracks down her face. Tess runs up to her and Catherine once again collapses. Tess falls to the ground with Catherine.

"JT!" Tess yells to JT for help. He picks Catherine up and carries her to the car. He sets her down on the back seat. Catherine curls up into a ball. She doesn't say anything. Just lays there curled up on herself. Tess and JT exchange a look of concern. Of course they don't know everything, they think this is just her reaction to Vincent's death. Catherine wants to tell them the truth, she wants to thank them for coming for her. But right now it hurts to breathe…it's everything she can do to keep her heart beating. She is not ready yet…she is not sure she will ever be ready.

JT drives back to her apartment. They walk her upstairs and into her place. She stops at the doorway, she was happy the last time she left here. How had it all gone so wrong so fast? She let Tess walk her down to the bathroom, Tess started the shower and left Catherine alone to clean up.

Catherine got into the shower, standing under the water, she closes her eyes. Images of Vincent smiling at her play behind her eyes. Once she is clean she sits down in the tub, she rocks back and forth, letting the water wash over her, and she wishes it could wash her memories of Vincent away, down the drain.

The first thing Tess notices is how hollow Catherine seems as she comes back into the living room. JT hands her a cup of coffee, with a shot of whiskey in it.

"You look like you needed something stronger."

Catherine doesn't say anything at first, she just curls up on the couch. After a few minutes.

"How did you find me?"

"Vincent called me." JT answered her.

Catherine's head shot up.

"You talked to him!"

"Yes, but he just said sorry and told us where to find you. He hung up right after that. Cat what in the hell is going on?"

"We did it to keep you safe, we were trying to trap Reynolds and faked Vincent's death, it worked but he left anyway."

JT looks like he is going to explode. Tess places her hand on his shoulder, nodding toward Catherine. It's clear she is devastated. Tess urges JT to put aside his issues for her best friend for a moment.

"Cat, I can see your hurting, but JT lost his best friend, can you please tell him what is going on."

Catherine took a deep breath.

"I am sorry we lied to you, JT especially you. Vincent would have rather had you mad at him and alive, then dead and not mad. We faked Vincent's death, put a listening device on my…on Reynolds. We wanted to see who he is working for and if they had access to more beasts. And it worked! Reynolds called someone and requested another beast to take down Windsor. Whomever he was talking to was pissed. Blamed Reynolds for saving Vincent's life, called him my pet. It made it sound like Reynolds actually saved Vincent's life and sent him back here to NY where I would have a chance to find him and save him. Vincent freaked out. I guess being so angry at Reynolds and wanting to kill him for what he did, to having to be grateful was just too much. Vincent blurred away."

JT is standing there mouth agape.

"Well if he just blurred away, he will come back Cat."

JT is having trouble processing all that Cat has told him.

"No JT, I went after him, I tried to tell him that we would figure this all out together, but it was like he was broken. All he could see when he looked at me was pain. The pain my family has caused him, the pain that he has caused me. He just stood there, no matter what I said, it didn't matter." She starts to cry again. "He just told me he loved me and to be happy and left."

JT moves to take Cat into his arms, but she gets defensive. She puts her hands up, to block him from touching her.

"Thank you both for coming for me, but I really just want to be alone right now."

Tess shakes her head.

"There is no way we are leaving you alone right now are you crazy."

"Please Tess….I…can't….I just need to be alone right now."

Tess and JT reluctantly leave after getting her to promise she will call or come to JT's if she needs them. As they drive back to the gentleman's club, JT is at a loss for words. "How could he do this…how could he leave all of us, but especially Cat?"

Tess has no answers for him. She pours him a shot and they sit on the couch, in silence, both in pain themselves and yet wanting to help the two people they love most in the world, but seeing no way to do so.

Cat wrapped up in a blanket heads to her roof. She stands there looking out over the city. There is a small part of her that is hoping Vincent will show up. That he will change his mind. She waits.

Vincent can see Catherine up on her roof. He is grateful to JT and Tess for bringing her home safely. He takes one last long look at her.

"Be happy my love."

He turns and blurs away.

* _Every story needs some drama and I am trying to stay somewhat true to S2. I thought it important to break them up, but I promise no love triangles. Vincent never really dealt with all the trauma that he had been put through and while I would have preferred that he let Catherine help him, he seems determined to go his own way right now. But I have faith that he will find his way back to her._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Reynolds has had no luck getting to Curt Windsor. He risks another call to his boss.

"Look, I know you want this finished and so do I, but I need Nixon here to get to Windsor. The guy is on high alert and no one human can get to him. Give me Nixon out here so we can finish it."

His boss relents and advises that Nixon will be in touch the next day.

"This is it….take down Windsor, no more excuses. How is that daughter of yours doing? Ready to join the family business?"

Reynolds is freaked out.

"You leave Catherine out of this that was always the deal. She is not a part of this."

Chuckling, his boss says.

"We shall see about that. Good Luck Reynolds, remember no more excuses. I have been far too lenient with you."

Reynolds slams the phone down. Falling into his office chair he pinches the bridge of his nose. He is determined to keep Catherine away from all of this. Vincent's death was regrettable but in the long run necessary. Catherine has no idea she is connected to all of this and he is determined to keep it that way. He did feel for her. Catherine has been struggling in the last few weeks since Vincent's death. It takes time to heal from a loss like that. But it's possible, he moved on after Vanessa broke his heart and Catherine will too.

"Talk to Cat today?" Tess storms into the gentleman's club. No hello JT or how are you, just barreling in to ask about Cat.

"No…..and don't you even knock anymore?" At Tess's crushed look, JT immediately feels like an asshole.

"I'm sorry…I just miss him too, and no, I have not heard from her. She hasn't come to see me or answered any of my texts or voice mail messages in two weeks."

Tess is frustrated. Both for JT and for Catherine. She wants to hunt Vincent down and make him understand how much JT and Cat are hurting for him.

"Dammit! Cat said she needed some space and we have given her two weeks. She needs to get back to work, or she is going to lose her job. I think she needs an intervention. JT will you please come over to her place with me?"

JT looks at her like it's the last thing he wants to do.

"JT, I know you miss him too, but you are at least getting through your day. Cat has been hiding out and it's not healthy. She needs our help, she has to start living her life. Vincent is gone and he is not coming back. The sooner she deals with it, the sooner she can move on."

JT hates that Tess is right….

"Fine lets go check on Cat."

Catherine is up on the roof and doesn't hear the pounding on her front door. She has spent a large portion of her time up there in the last two weeks. She misses Vincent. His absence is a physical ache that she can't soothe. She knows she needs to get back to her job, her friends and her life. But all of those things remind her of Vincent. Tess and JT especially. Up here on the roof, she feels closer to him, as if it any moment he will appear. Her head knows that he is gone, but her heart just can't let him go, or give up on him.

Vincent hasn't gone very far. He was planning on it. He had grabbed his go bag and was getting ready to leave, but then he just stopped. At first he told himself he just wanted to make sure she was ok, that is when he saw her up on her roof. Every day he tells himself he is going to leave and every day he ends up watching Catherine from a couple of different rooftops. At night he sometimes sits on her fire escape, just listening to her sleep. He is constantly at war with himself. It would be so easy to go to her, to ask her forgiveness, to tell her how much he misses her. The guilt of watching her waste away is eating at him. But no matter how hard this is, he knows eventually she will be ok. She is better off without him, and he will keep watch over her until she realizes it. No matter how much pain it causes.

"Vincent you can't keep stalking her like this." JT is scolding Vincent. "This is crazy…you are both miserable, no it's not crazy… it's stupid."

"JT don't make me regret coming here. I can't be with her. I have completely destroyed her life, she is better off without me and you know it."

JT was not going to make Vincent feel better by agreeing with him.

"No I don't know it! She is miserable and so are you. She has not been back to work yet and Tess is worried sick and I am lying to both of them."

Vincent looks down at the floor. Maybe this was a mistake, it's not fair to JT either.

"Look, I am sorry..."

JT cuts him off before he can finish.

"I know what you're thinking and you are wrong. You are my best friend, dammit, I would do anything… I have done everything for you. Vincent I get that you are trying to do the right thing, but the right thing ain't working."

"JT listen to me, I love Catherine and I want her to be happy and when we are together, bad things happen to her and I break her heart. I will not do it anymore, JT…I won't. Thank you for keeping an eye on her, for caring about her. I gotta go."

Vincent heads to the door, but JT is not done yet.

"And that's another thing, why are you living in the catacombs? I have plenty of room here, you need to figure out what the rest of your life looks like, Vincent."

"This is what it looks like JT. I am a monster and monsters live in the shadows. This is where I belong." With those words he turned and left.

Reynolds is startled by the knock at his penthouse door. Nixon, he reminds himself. He answers the door and standing at the threshold, is the biggest and baddest beast of them all. Not just because he is over 6'5" and 300 lbs. But because he is an original. And not in the sense of first experimented on original, but because he is 500 years old and was born a beast. His DNA was added to the serum used to make beasts. It was one of the many things that Vanessa had not known about Murfield and the experiments. It was why she could never come up with a cure. Why no one ever would.

"Reynolds"

"Nixon…come in."

Tori Windsor was enjoying her evening. Ever since he found out that she was a beast, her Dad had been working with her. Training her and helping her learn control. It was the most time she had ever spent with him and she was grateful for every minute. She loved being a beast. The strength and the stamina were powerfully addictive. Her Dad was teaching her restraint as well as how to use her powers. They had just finished sparring and as soon as she cleaned up she would meet him in his study for a nightcap. Talking with him at the end of the day had replaced her stolen moments on the balcony. She no longer felt a burning need to escape her life.

Tori heard the sounds of a struggle. Just as she had been taught, she reached out with her beast senses. There was someone here. She raced towards the sound and as she got closer to her Dad's study the fighting was louder. She burst into the room, beast senses flaring and the transformation underway. The shock of what she saw, stopped her beast cold. . A huge beast was standing over her father, the beast's hand could not be seen as it was inside Curt's Windsor's chest. Tori screamed and flew at the intruder. The intruder swatted her away like she was nothing. Tori seeing that her Father was dead and knowing she could not fight him, turned and blurred out of the building away from the horror.

Nixon had been surprised by the second beast. No intel had been given to him about Windsor living with another beast. Wiping his bloody hand on Curt Windsor's shirt, he considered going after her. She was throwing scent like crazy and it would not be hard to track her. He closed his eyes and focused on her for a moment. He had her…..he could wait to track her. He needed more information and knew just where to get it.

The banging on her door woke Catherine up off the couch. Normally she would just ignore it, assuming it was Tess or JT, but there was an urgency right now she could sense.

"Hold on….I'm coming."

Catherine looks out the peephole to see Tori standing there. She opens the door and Tori comes barreling into the apartment.

"My father is dead! It was a beast, a huge one. I mean twice the size of Vincent. I barely got away and I am sorry, but you were the first person I thought off. I need your help, both yours and Vincent's!"

For just a second Catherine is tempted to turn around and hide in her room, but Tori is an innocent victim and needs help, and Catherine Chandler never backs down from helping someone. It is the catalyst she needs to force her into action. In to her life again. Just like that she sheds her wallowing self-pity and is galvanized into action.

"Come in….come in. Vincent is gone, but I will help you anyway that I can. Slow down and tell me everything from the beginning."

Tori explains to Catherine what she saw. Catherine immediately thinks about this beast tracking Tori.

"We can't stay here, we need to keep moving. I know somewhere we can hide while we get help.'

Catherine heads for the safe haven. She smiles to herself, that was Vincent's word for it, the memory of them running from Murfield and her amusement at their name for their hiding place runs through her mind. The underlying current of pain she has been living with still there, but she is getting used to it. She call's JT.

"JT can you meet me at the safe haven. I have a problem I need help with…and bring the tranq gun."

JT races to get to the safe haven first.

"Vincent!" JT yells for his friend. "Vincent…Cat is on her way here"

Vincent emerges from the shadows.

"What?" JT spins around at the sound of Vincent's voice.

"Dammit, do you have to do that!"

"Sorry" Vincent says sheepishly.

"Cat is on her way here and she asked me to bring the tranq gun. Do you think she knows you're here? Is she planning on shooting you to bring you home or something?"

"There is no way she knows I am here, JT. She has not come looking for me, she hasn't had anything beast related since I left. That is why I left."

"Well she is on her way."

Vincent suddenly cocked his head. He can hear her racing heartbeat. Frantically looking around.

"JT do not tell her I am here."

He fades back into the shadows. Just as Catherine with Tori comes around the corner.

JT does his best to look normal.

"Hey"

Catherine runs up to him and hugs him. It is the first time she has allowed anyone to touch her since Vincent left.

"JT thanks for meeting me, Curt Windsor is dead and Tori managed to escape, but I am not sure that the beast who killed him can't track her down as well."

JT needs a moment to process.

"Beast…was it Vincent?" He says avoiding looking into the shadows for Vincent.

Tori answered.

"No…..It was someone I had never seen before. He was huge, twice Vincent's size and he just ripped my Father's heart right out of his chest. I moved towards him and he swatted me away like a fly."

"Cat what are you thinking? You can't take on something like this without Vincent."

Suddenly Catherine has moved on from the despondent stage of grief to the anger.

"Well Vincent isn't here is he? He left me and while he may get to walk away from all this, Tori can't and I won't leave her to battle this all alone. Are you going to help me or not?"

Catherine stares at him, she has fire back in her eyes and steel in her spine. She has purpose again.

JT is quick with his response.

"Cat, of course I will help. What do you need me to do?"

"Hack into the Windsor's security feed, let's see if we can at least see who we are dealing with. See if you can track him and see where he came from or where he goes. Have Tess run facial recognition on him. I will go back to Tori's and see if I can get any DNA. We need to Id this guy."

"OK, but how are you going to stay safe, if he is a beast then he can easily track the both of you."

Catherine looked at Tori and shrugged her shoulders.

"We will have to keep moving. Call me on my cell if you find anything out. We will meet back here when I have the DNA sample. I don't want to meet at your place, especially if he is tracking us. I won't put you in danger too."

Catherine stood there staring at JT, who was just standing there. Hoping she would leave first so he could talk to Vincent.

"Well…..what are you waiting for….get going!"

Catherine grabbed JT by the arm and headed back up to the surface. He looked back over his shoulder once and thought he saw Vincent's eyes flash, but couldn't be sure.

Vincent watched as Catherine went from the empty shell he has been watching for the last few weeks to the warrior that he knows she is. His heart swelled with pride at her actions, but dammit, this is why he left. To keep her away from all this and here she is, jumping head first back into beasts. He follows her at a distance, she is healing from his heartbreak and he did not want to jeopardize her process, he would help keep her safe from a distance. She would never know he was there.

Catherine and Tori head back to the penthouse.

"Are you going to be OK, going back there? I think you might want to wait for me here in the car. Hit the horn if you see him. I am just going to run up there and grab some samples and see what we get."

Cops are everywhere, Cat overhears one of them asking about Tori. She calls Tori and tells her to move the car out of sight.

Cat gets in and makes small talk, all while swiping some hidden cotton swabs along surfaces she thinks that this new beast might have touched. She makes her excuses and heads back to Tori. She calls JT and tells him that she will be waiting for him in the catacombs. Ask Tess where Vincent saved her last year. That is where we will be."

Nixon meanwhile has gone back to Reynolds.

"Windsor is dead, but you didn't tell me about his daughter."

"Tori? What about her."

"She is a beast."

Reynolds is shocked. "I had no idea." Vincent never said anything about Tori being a beast.

Well she is and I checked with the company, they have no record of her. So Windsor either experimented on his own daughter or…"

Reynolds is confused.

"Or what?"

Nixon rolled his eyes.

"She was born that way."

Nixon let that sink in a few moments for Reynolds. Then he gets it.

"There has never been a successful 'live birth' of a beast in hundreds of years."

Nixon nods his head.

"I know….that is why I am going to find her.

Catherine is pacing back and forth.

"Tori can you sense anything?'

Tori takes a deep breath and concentrates.

 _Shit_ , Vincent quickly slows his heart rate and focuses on being absolutely still.

Tori cocks her head. She senses something, but she is still so new that she is not sure.

"I don't think he is out there. I am still new at this, but I think anyone tracking us, would be giving something off I could sense."

Vincent sighs in relief. He didn't think about Tori picking him up. That was the last thing he needed. He is watching Catherine. His heart aches for her, if he closes his eyes and concentrates he can feel her.

"Where in the hell is JT. I don't like being in the same spot for too long."

As if her words summoned him.

"Hey" JT shows up.

Catherine gives him the DNA samples.

"I am not sure what I got if anything. Any luck on your end?"

JT shows Catherine a picture, but it's blurry, so while you can tell that there is someone there, you can't tell what the person looks like.

"He knew what he was doing. He never looked at the cameras and never stood still long enough to capture any good images. I'm sorry Cat."

"It's no problem, JT….maybe you will have some luck with the DNA. Call me if you find anything."

"Sure, but where are you going to go?"

Tori has an idea.

"My father owned an old curio shop, it's not open to the public, and we can hide there for a little bit."

"Great sounds good. We will wait to hear from you JT."

Catherine hugged him. He hugged her back…hard. At her questioning look, he just shrugged his shoulders.

"Just don't take any risks, please. It feels like we just got you back."

Catherine smiled.

"I love you JT."

With that she and Tori took off and left him standing there. He waited a few minutes. Sure enough, Vincent stepped out of the shadows.

"God dammit, Vincent…..I can't keep doing this!"

Vincent is surprised at JT's anger.

"Doing what?"

"Lying to her, man…it's not right. She is out there alone, fighting your fight. About to take on a beast that is like nothing we have ever faced. And you're down here, moping in the shadows."

"JT, I know what I am doing. I will make sure she stays safe….from a distance. You saw her JT, she is getting better. I am not going to unravel all of that. It doesn't matter what I want JT, she needs to move on and get away from beasts. This will be the last time and I will make sure that nothing hurts her."

JT shakes his head at his idiot best friend.

"You think your protecting her, but really you're just protecting yourself. All of this is hard Vincent, but if epic love was easy, everyone would have it. You had something amazing and you threw it away."

Vincent looked like he was going to say something. But JT cut him off.

"Nope….I don't want to hear your excuses. She loves you and I get that you don't feel worthy, but this is bullshit…"

Vincent cuts him off this time. Now he is pissed!

"Bullshit? JT! You have seen what I have done to her. How much misery has she had to endure because of me? She had to lie to her family, she lost her father, Tess was almost killed and she almost lost her sister. You watched what she went through last year, with me gone and what she went through when I came back. Now she finds out her biological father tortured and destroyed me, and it was for my own good! How in the hell are we supposed to move forward under all that!

JT takes a step back under the force of Vincent's anger and hurt. That is what this really is about… Vincent is hurting and not dealing with it at all. He is not going to fight Vincent that is not what best friends do.

"OK, Vincent…no more judgement. I am just worried about you."

"I will be fine JT, we all will be."

JT is not so sure. But he claps Vincent on the back and takes off home to work on the beast DNA.

Nixon starts tracking Tori. He is shocked that she doubled back to her penthouse. He has no idea why, but his curiosity about her is peaked. He tracks her through the sewers. He is so focused on her that he doesn't pick up on Vincent. He continues to track her.

Cat and Tori are exploring the curio shop.

"This stuff is amazing. Why didn't your Dad open this up to the public?"

"I am not really sure. I always got the impression this place was just a hobby for him. He liked to collect things. Really old things."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I always thought it was kinda boring."

As they continued to look around, Catherine noticed a very modern looking piece of equipment out of place among all the antiques.

"Tori, this looks like a sensor of some kind."

Tori walked up to it and looked at it. All of a sudden a red light appeared and scanned Tori's eye. She jumped back startled, but the scan had completed. The wall slid open to reveal a hallway.

Catherine and Tori looked questioningly at each other. Why not explore, they had nothing else to do.

"What if the door closes on us?" Tori worried.

"You opened it from out here, surely you will be able to open it up, from in there."

They start down the hallway. Catherine uses the light from her cellphone to illuminate their way. As they turn the corner they both stop and stare.

"What is that?" Tori exclaimed.

Catherine moves closer.

"It looks like a skeleton." She shines her light up and down. "But it doesn't look human."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Nixon tracked the she beast to a small antique store in Chelsea. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He could sense another heartbeat. She was not alone. Should he wait her out? Nah…He is too curious about her. Plus he is anxious to be away from the city. His senses are constantly being overwhelmed. He lives a quiet life, away from the bright lights and big city.

"What do you mean it's not human?"

"Tori look at this. The head, it's got fangs and look at the jaw."

Tori peered closer.

"It looks like a gorilla or something. What is that around its neck?"

Catherine shined her light closer.

"It's not a gorilla, the hands are normal and it looks like it would walk upright. And around its neck it looks like a collar."

She held up a chain.

"This is bolted to the slab. Someone chained him or her up. We need JT."

Catherine looks at her phone, but she has no signal. Something in the room is blocking her signal.

"Stay here, I am going to step out call JT."

Catherine heads back to the storefront. Her head is down and she does not see Nixon come in until he is right in front of her. Unfortunately JT's picture of the new beast is not close enough for Catherine to recognize him. Normally Catherine is more than capable of taking care of herself, but she is at a disadvantage, since she has no idea who she is facing.

"I'm sorry we are not open for business right….."

That is all she gets out before Nixon backhands her hard. She goes flying and Tori hears a loud thwack as Catherine's head makes contact with the floor. Nixon looks over at her. She is breathing but not moving. Satisfied that she is not a threat he moves toward Tori.

Tori heard the commotion and raced out of the room, straight into Nixon. Her beast immediately comes to the surface to protect her.

Nixon is transfixed by her. Tori in full beast is beautiful. She is strong and wild, her long red hair adding to her allure. Tori quickly realizes he is caught in her pheromone web and concentrates even harder on pumping the room full of the chemical attractant.

For a second it seems like it might work, but Nixon is an ancient and quickly shakes off her spell. Rushing at her he is far too powerful for her newly learned skills. He overwhelms her, quickly blurring away with her.

Catherine is alone, lying unconscious on the floor.

Vincent is tracking Catherine and Tori, he soon becomes aware that he is not the only one tracking them. He senses the new beast.

JT is analyzing the DNA Cat found in Tori's apartment.

"No…no…..no….."

He quickly calls Vincent.

"Vincent the beast that attacked Windsor is old."

"Great, that should make it easier to beat him. I am tracking Catherine and I am picking him up as well. I wonder how an old man got the jump on Windsor."

"NO, Vincent I don't mean old as in age…well I do…but…LISTEN this beast is OLD, like 500 years old. He doesn't just have the Murfield markers in his system. He IS the Murfield…marker.'

The bottom drops out of Vincent's stomach.

"JT what do you mean. He is the Murfield marker?"

JT is panicked. He is talking superfast.

"I mean that he is the beast cocktail, like he might be the one who spawned all other beasts. He is a perfect beast. Or at least his DNA is. I don't want to be overdramatic, but he is like an Original. You know if he was a vampire or something he would be called a Sire."

Vincent is getting impatient and a little worried for Catherine.

"JT, focus….Vampires are not real. You mean that this guy is like…"

"Vincent this is the BEAST DADDY!"

"SHIT, he is tracking Catherine."

Vincent hangs up on JT and races after Catherine.

"CATHERINE…CATHERINE! DAMMIT ANSWER ME!"

Vincent bursts through the doors of the curio shop. He can sense Catherine's heartbeat, but it is weak.

"WHERE ARE YOU?"

Vincent forces himself to calm down and track. He sees it all. Catherine looking at her phone, Nixon striking her and her landing hard. Turning with his vision, he opens he eyes and sees Catherine. His heart stops and his stomach lurches. He feels nauseous. She is just lying there, in a crumpled heap. Her face pale, she is breathing but barely. He runs to her, sliding onto the ground beside her.

"CATHERINE….Can you hear me? Please open your eyes baby."

Vincent feels for a pulse. It is steady but weak. He continues checking her from head to toe. Talking to her the whole time.

"Cat, come on….it's me Vincent."

"Please open your eyes."

"I am right here…I got you."

"God dammit, Cat!"

He wants to pick her up and blur, but he is afraid of aggravating a neck injury. Taking out his cell phone. He is shaking so bad he drops it first. He calls 911.

Vincent holds Catherine's neck braced. The ambulance finds them there, Vincent bent over Catherine talking to her softly.

"Come on Catherine, please stay with me. I am sorry, I was wrong. Please don't leave me."

The paramedic approached him.

"Sir, you need to let us work on her."

At first Vincent doesn't respond. He is so focused on Catherine.

"Sir please, let us help her."

As the medic places his hand on Vincent's shoulder, he reacts.

"I am a doctor. She is breathing, but has not regained consciousness since I found her."

He doesn't want to let go of her.

"Sir…let us stabilize her and get her transported. You can ride in the ambulance with her...ok?"

Vincent finally lets her go, and steps aside to let the paramedics do their job. He calls JT.

JT calls Tess and they race to the hospital. Vincent is sitting on chair in the hallway, head in his hands.

"Vincent what the hell is going on….Is Cat going to be OK?" Tess is worried sick about her best friend.

Vincent looks up and Tess is shocked at how bad he looks. These last few weeks have been hard on him, she knows she should be understanding but right now she is too scared for Cat.

"Vincent!"

He shakes his head. His voice is hoarse, broken.

"I don't know….she has a head injury. By the time I found her, Tori and the other beast were gone. I am not sure how long she laid there before I got to her. She was breathing, but her heart beat was weak. I was afraid she might have a neck injury so I couldn't blur with her… I had to wait for the ambulance. She never regained consciousness."

He hung his head down, his shoulders started shaking.

JT sat down next to him and placed his hand on his back.

"Hey it's not your fault big guy, you had no idea she was in danger."

Tess is not so understanding.

"Bullshit, this is totally your fault, Vincent. Instead of fighting this with her you were off playing the martyr. You know her, you know she never turns down someone who needs help. What did you think she would do just because you left her, stop fighting. That is not her way and if you truly loved her, I mean really loved her you would have known that."

Getting right in his face and not caring that he is a beast and could snap her neck, she threatens him.

"You better hope that Cat make a full recovery, because if anything happens to her, because of all this beast crap business that you brought into her life. I WILL END YOU."

Tess stormed off to find a doctor to get some answers.

JT is apoplectic trying to apologize for Tess.

"Vincent….. She didn't mean any of that she is just scared for Cat."

Vincent is shaking his head at JT.

"Yes she did, JT, and she is not wrong. This is all my fault. I knew she was trying to protect Tori, I just thought that I could protect her from afar. I was wrong, tragically wrong and now Cat may pay the price for it."

JT didn't know what to say. Vincent was right, this was a mess and JT couldn't think of anything to say to Vincent to make it better. So he just sat next to his best friend and waited with him, and prayed. He prayed that Cat made it through this because if she did not, he didn't think Vincent would ever forgive himself.

After what seems like hours, but in reality was far less, Tess came walking down the hallway with the Dr. She is crying. Seeing her causes Vincent to inhale sharply. They can barely hear him when he asks.

"Is she going to be ok?"

The Dr. looks serious and asks them all to have a seat.

"Normally we would only talk to family, but I understand from Det. Vargas that Catherine doesn't have any family here. She said you all were the closest thing."

They all nod their heads.

"Catherine suffered a closed head injury. She hit the ground hard enough to cause her brain to bleed. Of course the brain once is starts swelling doesn't have anywhere to go and right now that is the danger. We have taken out of piece of her skull to allow the brain to swell without putting the kind of pressure on her brain that would cause damage. Once the swelling goes down, we can evaluate her to see what if any damage was done between the time she was hit and the time we were able to treat her. She is sedated for now, we have her in a medically induced coma."

"Can I see her?" Vincent asks. Tess starts to say something, but JT gently pulls her arm and she doesn't.

"Yes one at a time, you can sit with her. Coma patients often benefit from having loved ones talk to them."

Tess muttered under her breath.

"Then he should leave."

Vincent's suddenly dropped shoulders, tell Tess that he heard her. JT steps in.

"Vincent go see Cat, Tess and I are going to get some coffee. Can we bring you back anything?"

"No, JT, I am fine. Thanks.

Without a look back, he follows the Dr. to Catherine's bedside. Just outside the door the Dr. stops.

"Take as much time as you need. There is no rush."

Vincent thanks the Dr. He watches him walk away, then turns to enter Catherine's room. Vincent is shaking, his emotions all over the place. He has to stop for a minute and get himself under control.

Catherine is so small in that big hospital bed. Her head wrapped in bandages, her beautiful eyes are closed, her lashes inky black against the purple circles under her eyes. She is intubated. Tubes and wires threaten to overwhelm her tiny frame. Vincent pulls up a chair next to her, as close as he can get. He takes her hand, he holds it against his mouth and then his chest.

"Catherine, I love you. I hope you can hear me. I am sorry, so sorry for everything. I never should have left. I should have trusted you…trusted us. Please come back. Catherine please."

There is no reaction from her. Vincent reaches out with his beast, trying to sense anything coming from her, but there is nothing.

"Please come back to me."

Vincent lays his head down over her hand. Tess and JT quietly open the door and see Vincent hunched over Catherine, his shoulders shaking as his fear for her overwhelms him, and he breaks down into tears. JT knows that Vincent would not want them to see him lose it like this. Taking Tess by the arm he takes her back out to the waiting room. Giving Vincent whatever time he needs with Catherine.

"Tess, I know your angry at Vincent right now and that you are scared for Cat, but you know he loves her more than anything."

Tess shakes her head.

"No, I don't KNOW that JT, I know you and Vincent say it, but he left her….after everything she went through to get him back, HE LEFT HER. I don't know everything, but I know that when you love someone you fight for them, you STAY! You don't run away and you sure as hell don't leave her to battle supernatural beasts alone. I get that he is your friend and you need to defend him, just don't defend him to me JT, because there is nothing he could say."

"You are right" Vincent said quietly from behind her.

Tess looks a little sheepish.

"Vincent, I didn't realize you were there."

Vincent smiles at her.

"It's ok…you have every right to be angry with me. This is my fault and I will fix it, and I will not stop until I make it up to her. No matter how long it takes me."

With that he turns and walks out of the hospital.

JT looks after him, and says to himself.

"What are you going to do now, Vincent?"

Vincent tried to track Tori and the new beast, but he had no luck. . Vincent could not focus on anything else other than Catherine.

All he could do was wait for Catherine to wake up and maybe talk to her Father about everything. Reynolds heard about Catherine's accident and had been stopping every day to check on Catherine. Vincent had to be careful, that Reynolds never saw him, he still thought Vincent was dead and they thought it best to keep it that way until Catherine woke up.

Every day Vincent sat with Catherine, he would talk with her and sometime read to her. He wanted to make sure that if she could hear what was going on around her, she knew that he was always there. The only time he wasn't was when Reynolds or Tess would come and visit. Tess was not ready to forgive him, so he kept his distance from her.

"I am not going anywhere, until you open those big beautiful eyes. Even if you tell me to go to hell, it will be worth it. I love you Catherine."

After a few days, the Dr. came in to let him know that they were stopping the medication that was keeping Catherine in a coma.

"We are not sure how long it will be before she wakes up, unfortunately this is not an exact science. But the swelling in her brain has gone down, so now we wait and see."

Vincent was scared yet hopeful. He called JT and Tess to let them know. They came right away.

"Tess, I know you're mad at me right now, and I have respected your feelings and kept my distance from you, but I am not leaving until she opens her eyes."

Tess had been impressed at Vincent's devotion to Catherine, he was here every day, all day and most nights he fell asleep in the chair by her bed. JT explained that Catherine wasn't the only one hurt by Vincent's kidnapping last year. Vincent was a victim of trauma too and they may not agree with how he is dealing with it. But it is his journey to take and they owe it to him, to be there for him. Whatever mistakes he might make. When he put it like that, Tess felt like shit. But she had not been ready to talk to Vincent. Seeing how much he was hurting and how much he loved Cat, she knew she had to let him know that she forgave him.

"Look Vincent, I was angry, for Cat's sake, but I do realize that you are a victim too and I may not agree with how you handled things, but I know you love Cat and I just want you to know that I am here, for both of you….no matter what."

Vincent was moved by Tess's speech. He embraced her, almost lifting her off of her feet with the force of his hug.

"Thank you and I promise, both of you. I will fix this. No matter what I am not going anywhere."

Vincent held Catherine's hand and Tess was perched on the end of the bed. Catherine was surrounded by the people that loved her. They talked to her and encouraged her. Finally Vincent, who was holding her hand, felt it squeeze.

"She squeezed my hand…..JT get the Dr."

JT ran out of the room.

"Catherine…..come on baby, open up those eyes for me. Catherine, I am right here."

Catherine eyes fluttered.

"That's it, come on Cat fight." Tess said.

Vincent raised Catherine's hand to him mouth.

"I love you Catherine, open your eyes. Tess and I are right here."

Catherine slowly opened her eyes. She looked right at Vincent. She moved her head, and wrinkled up her face, uncomfortable with the breathing tube. The Dr. stepped in and removed it. As he pulled back, Catherine closed her eyes again. Taking a deep breath on her own this time.

When she opened her eyes again, they immediately went to Vincent. At first they were soft and welcoming, happy to see him, then like a wall slammed down, she closed herself off to him. She turned her head away from him effectively shutting him out.

Vincent had not taken his eyes off Catherine and saw the moment in her eyes, when she remembered what he had done. How he had left her. She still loved him, that first look, showed him that, but Catherine was not about to forgive him. Her hand had gone slack in his. He swallowed hard and picked her hand back up and kissed it.

"I know you're mad at me right now, but it doesn't matter. You are alive and that is everything to me."

She refused to look at him, but a tear escaped her eye and ran down her cheek.

"Leave" Her voice was rough and husky from lack of use and the breathing tube. It was only one word, but to Vincent it felt like his whole world had collapsed when she said it.

Tess ever ready to come to Cat's defense said.

"Vincent I think you should go."

Vincent set down Catherine's hand and leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"I'll go for now, but I am never leaving you again, Catherine."

Catherine didn't react at all as he walked out the door. Once he was gone, she squeezed Tess's hand and let the tears fall.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

It took Catherine weeks to recuperate. Every night while she slept, Vincent was by her bedside. More mornings than they could count, JT and Tess would find him sleeping in the chair beside her bed. He would always leave before she woke up.

Sometime Catherine would dream that Vincent was at her bedside. She could feel him close, but every morning when she woke up, there was no evidence that he had been there.

JT and Tess watched as both of their friends grew more miserable. Cat was healed physically, but emotionally she was a wreck. She refused to talk about Vincent. Both JT and Tess had tried, but she always shot them down. Today however, Cat was being released from the hospital and JT was going to give it one more try.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

"More than ready JT. Thank You for coming to pick me up."

"I am not so sure you will think so, by the time I am done." Nervously he pushed forward. "Look I know you don't want to talk about Vincent, but you have to hear a few things."

"JT…" Cat says ominously.

"Nope, not this time Cat, it's too important. I know you're mad at him and I don't blame you, leaving you like he did was a crap thing to do. But try to remember that Vincent is a victim of trauma. He was kidnapped and brainwashed and then had to come to terms with all the things he did while brainwashed, after getting his memories back. Now, we were all thrilled that he was back, and we didn't really think about how he was handling things. Being angry at Reynolds, gave him a focus, a place to put all that blame and rage. It wasn't healthy, but it was how he coped. Then he found out that Reynolds did all that to essentially save him. So then he is dealing with that rug being pulled out from under him on top of realizing all the hurt he put you through because of it. You know that Vincent has always had issues with self-loathing. Is it really any surprise that his go to reaction to everything is to run? Especially given his instinct to protect you. Are you really going to hate him forever for that?"

Catherine didn't say anything, she just looked down at her hands.

JT wasn't finished.

"He has been here, every night Cat. Every single god damn night."

Catherine quickly looked up at him.

"Every night?"

JT nodded his head.

Catherine's eyes welled up.

"I thought I was dreaming, JT."

"Well you weren't dreaming. I don't know if anyone else has told you, but Vincent is the one who found you. He was tracking you and believe me he is racked with guilt that he did not get there fast enough to save you and Tori. He was never very far from you Cat. Never…"

Catherine lets the tears fall.

"I'm afraid JT, I miss him so much, but I am not sure I can trust him."

JT didn't push any more, this was more that she had talked about Vincent in weeks. The rest was up to Vincent.

Vincent watched from the hospital roof as Catherine left with JT. As they drove away, he turned back into the city, following along, determined to see her home safe.

Catherine was quiet on the ride back to her apartment. Her body was healed, but her emotions were all over the place. JT might not realize it, but his words resonated with Catherine. She could admit she had not thought about how Vincent was handling everything he had gone through. He always seemed so strong, so in control. She had not understood how finding out that Reynolds had protected him was a problem for Vincent. She thought that made Reynolds a potential ally, worthy of trying to save. But it had freaked Vincent out. She was also worried about Tori and the beast who must have taken her. They clearly couldn't find her or rescue her without Vincent.

"Oh crap JT!"

Catherine shouted so loud that JT almost side swiped a double parked car.

"What!"

"I am sorry, I just remembered, I forgot all about the beast skeleton!"

"Beast skeleton?"

Catherine explained to him what she and Tori had found in the antique shop.

"I doubt anyone has been there since….JT we have to go there and you have to see it. Someone had a beast chained to a slab."

JT is wondering if Catherine's injury actually caused brain damage. He has seen a lot over the past 10 years, but this is crazy. Still Catherine would not be placated. So they headed to the antique store.

Vincent noticed that JT was not headed to Catherine's apartment, but to Chelsea. So he followed along. He chuckled to himself, knowing it had to be Catherine's doing. Tori was still missing and now that she was out of the hospital, Catherine would be determined to find her. No rest for his warrior.

Catherine led JT into the back room, fortunately the door had not been closed after Tori had been taken. She watched JT's face as he realized what he was looking at.

Vincent could hear both Catherine and JT's heartbeats accelerate. Not caring that Catherine didn't want to see him, he raced inside the shop and tracked them.

Catherine was so entertained on watching JT's expression turn from confusion, to interest, to the realization that this was a big deal. That she did not immediately sense Vincent. It was JT who tore his gaze away from the skeleton and noticed Vincent standing in the shadows.

"Vincent!"

Catherine inhaled sharply and turned to look at him. He still took her breath away. He was standing, legs slightly apart, hands by his side, ready to take on any threat to those he loved. His eyes were glowing and roaming over every inch of her. She could feel the heat in his gaze as he checked to make sure she was unhurt. Without taking his eyes off of her, he spoke to JT."

"Everything ok? I could sense both of your heartbeats accelerate."

JT is watching Catherine and Vincent stare at each other. He feels like an intruder.

"We are fine, Vincent. But it's a good thing you are here. You need to see this."

JT gestures to the concrete slab. Vincent finally tears his gaze from Catherine and walks over to JT. He stands there confused.

"What is it?'

Catherine walks up to him.

"I think it's a beast. I don't know if it's female or male, but it looks like someone chained it up."

"It's male." Says JT.

Vincent is confused.

"But what is it doing here?"

"I don't know, Vincent… I can take it back to my place. I can do a much more in depth examination."

The three of them, load the beast skeleton and chain into JT's car. After it's loaded, JT heads to the driver's side of the car. He looks back and Catherine and Vincent are standing there awkwardly.

"Um…Catherine are you coming with me?"

Catherine looks at JT and then back a Vincent.

"Actually JT, I will take a cab home, I need a minute with Vincent."

Both JT and Vincent exchange surprised looks. JT just smiles and thinks to himself as he drives away. It's going to take more than a minute….

As JT drove away, Catherine turned to Vincent.

"Do you have a minute to talk?"

Vincent nodded his head and followed Catherine back into the shop. She locked the door behind her. She wanted no surprises coming through the door this time. Catherine stood there, nervously, rubbing her hands together. Vincent smiled and moved toward her, placing his hands over her own.

"You don't have to be nervous of me. Go ahead and say whatever you need to. I am sure I deserve it."

Catherine looked deep into Vincent's eyes. She was not sure what she is looking for, but the way he looks at her, is overwhelming. She shook her head and took a step backward away from his touch.

"I'm not sure….I mean I don't know..."

She lifted her chin, trying to maintain her dignity.

"JT explained some things to me, and I realize that I have not been fair. I have not taken what you have been through into account."

Vincent raised his eyebrow.

"What did JT say?"

Catherine pushed forward.

"He reminded me that you have been a victim in all of this. That you have not dealt with the trauma of everything that happened to you last year. That you have always been self-loathing and that it should not have surprised me that you would take it all on yourself and think that leaving me was the only way to protect me….to love me."

Vincent closed his eyes. JT was right of course, but he was going to kill him for laying all of it on Catherine.

"Catherine."

But Catherine interrupted.

"Wait, let me finish…I know you have been at the hospital every night. That you never really left me. That you have been watching over me."

Catherine looked at Vincent, she had made a statement, but her eyes asked the question. He nodded his head, confirm what JT said. He had been watching over her.

"I am sorry, I pushed you away. I was just so angry. I wanted to blame you for me being hurt, but in reality. I was the one being reckless. And my reactions were not from anger, but from hurt. I wanted to hurt you, like you hurt me. I did not realize that hearing that Reynolds had saved you, would unravel you. I didn't think about how you were holding everything together, I was just so happy that you remembered me, remembered us, I selfishly put everything else aside. And that was not fair to you…I am so sorry Vincent. I am sorry that my family, including me, has hurt you so much."

Catherine and Vincent stared at each other. Each of them afraid to take the next step, to make the first move. The tension between them is palpable. Vincent is the first one to break. He takes a step toward her.

"Catherine, I am sorry I hurt you. Once my head cleared from the shock of it all, I knew I had made a mistake. I couldn't leave you, but I'd convinced myself that you would be better off without me. It killed me to see the pain I caused you, but I didn't know how to come back. I felt like I had broken something valuable and fragile and I didn't know how to fix it. So I reverted back to before, watching you from the shadows. I thought I could keep you safe and give you time to get over me. Clearly I was wrong. You ended up hurt and Tori is still missing."

Catherine spoke softly, tears in her eyes.

"Vincent, I will never be over you."

Vincent inhales sharply. Catherine continues.

"But I am not sure if I trust you."

Vincent took a step backward. Her words cut deep. He looked down at the floor. She is right. When he wanted to leave last year in order to keep her safe, she told him that was never an option. She had said they were partners. She was right, but would she forgive him now? He had lost everything that was important to him, when he left her. He had nothing to lose anymore.

"I will never leave you again. I need you, like I need oxygen. All those nights I sat outside your apartment, watching over you. All I wanted to do was to come back. All those nights in the hospital, watching you, I would have given anything to trade places with you. To take your pain away and bear it myself. I screwed up. Maybe your right, maybe I haven't dealt with all the trauma from the last year, hell even the last 10 years. And yes, I left, but I didn't go far, you were never alone. Please give me another shot to earn your trust back. I love you and not having you in my life is….well it's not living."

Vincent stood there with his arms open, wordlessly inviting her in.

Catherine stared at him, standing there, opening up to her. She aches for him. Taking a deep breath she walks into his arms.

Vincent crushes her to him, burying his face in her neck. Catherine holds on to him tightly. For a moment time stands still. Then Vincent's shoulders start to shake. Catherine holds on to him even tighter as his knees buckle and they both go to the floor. They don't speak, words are unnecessary between them. They hold tight to each other. After a few moments, Catherine takes Vincent's face in her hands. She runs her hands over his face, and kisses his tears away. Pouring her love into him, warming him and healing him.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Take me home, Vincent."

Vincent stood up with Catherine in his arms and blurred away.

Vincent gently landed on the roof, he'd held Catherine in his arms just a few seconds longer than necessary. He set her on her feet and took her face in his hands. He kissed her softly. Catherine stepped into him and slid her arms around him. She kissed him back. It was gentle at first. Lips touching, then mouths opening. Hesitantly their tongue's touched. Vincent angled Catherine's head, his kiss going deeper. He was starved for her. All those nights watching her, not being able to touch her.

After a few minutes, they pulled back and looked into each other eyes. Vincent could see all the pain he had caused Catherine. Catherine could see, all the fear Vincent had. But behind the fear and the pain, there was love. There was a love that would never be extinguished, and most importantly, it would never again be overshadowed.

Vincent scooped Catherine up into his arms and walked with her downstairs into her apartment and into her bedroom. He set her down on her feet and immediately captured her mouth with his own. After weeks of being separated from her, he couldn't get close enough to her. He pulled her to him, molding her body against his. Lifting his mouth from hers, he pressed it against her neck, feeling her shiver in response.

Catherine arched her head back as Vincent continued his kisses up along her neck, his mouth found her ear and his tongue traced the edge. Her eyes rolled back into her head as he continued his assault on her senses. Catherine's hands roamed over his back, and swept down to the curve of his ass. She moaned as Vincent's mouth found hers again. Their kisses devoured each other, he wedged his knee against her core and Catherine's body wept in response.

Suddenly clothing was too restrictive, it chafed at skin that was desperate to be touched. Vincent tore his clothes from his body and Catherine matched his exuberance. Vincent dropped to his knees in front of her. He placed kisses along her stomach, nuzzled her belly button and wrapped his arms around her waist. He stayed there a moment, worshipping her. Catherine ran her fingers through Vincent's hair, and gently cradled his head in her hands.

Vincent stood up and moved Catherine back toward the bed, he placed his hand down on the bed and used the other to cradle her and lay her down. She leaned back onto her elbows and stared him. She absently licked her lips, looking him up and down. He smiled at her, his pupils dilating, nostrils flaring.

Vincent crawled up her body, placing kisses along her thighs, and her stomach on his way to her breasts. His hands ran up her sides as his mouth found her nipple. He pressed it to the roof of his mouth with his tongue, rolling it back and forth. Catherine arched up as the electricity started in her breasts and headed straight for her center. Vincent's hand followed along the charged path, dipping into her slit. She moaned as he entered her, first one finger then two. He lifted his head to look at her, her eyes closed, mouth open, panting. Her hips circled his hand. He switched his attention to her other nipple, giving it the same rolling treatment. Catherine was coming undone, Vincent's tongue on her breast and his fingers inside her pulsing at the same speed spinning her wildly.

"Vincent….Oh my God…Vincent!"

Catherine breathlessly said his name. Vincent smiled against her breast, increased the tempo of his thrusting hand, pressed his thumb on her clit and bit down gently on her nipple, he sent her flying. Her head thrown back, her hips bucking madly.

Vincent slowly withdrew his hand, he loved the feeling of her core pulsating around his fingers. He lifted his head off her breast and kissed his way back up to her mouth. She moaned and grabbed the back of his head, she lifted up forcing him to flip onto his back. She climbed up on top of him. Her hot wet mouth wrapping around his cock as it jumped up from his belly.

Vincent grabbed the sheets as Catherine's mouth and tongue worked him. She was just as ruthless as he had been. Vincent's hips arched up as Catherine's mouth came down, taking him deep into her throat. She fondled his balls, rolling them in her hands as her tongue bathed and licked the head of his cock. Vincent growled, his eyes going yellow as Catherine raised the beast in him with her skilled mouth and hands. Catherine stopped and raised her head, her gaze travelled up over his body to look his beast right in the eye. He growled softly at her. Catherine smiled, crawled up his body, and impaled herself on him. As she slammed down on him, he arched his head back and roared. Catherine had no time to react as she found herself flipped onto her back.

The eyes looking down on her, were now Vincent's warm hazel. He looked at her with wonder and amazement. She smiled up at him as she curved her hand around his head and brought his mouth down to hers. At the same time she lifted her hips. That was all the encouragement he needed. Vincent's hips pumped into her, driving himself home with each thrust. Catherine met him stroke for stroke and together they soared.

Breathless and sweaty, Vincent lifted himself off of Catherine and rolled on to his back. His arm snaked out to gather her to his side. Catherine placed her head on his chest, she smiled as she heard his heart still beating hard. Her head lifted up and down with every deep breath he took.

"Vincent…are you ok? Your heart is racing and you are almost out of breath."

He laughed.

"Give me a minute to recover, there is a reason they call it 'little death' you know."

She laughed and nipped his nipple with her teeth. He flinched and rolled toward her, onto his side to protect himself from her. She buried her face in his neck, burrowing in to him. Catherine needed to feel him everywhere. She needed him to surround her, overwhelm her. He pulled her close and understood, he had spent every night of the last few weeks close to her but never touching. He laid his head on top of hers, squeezed her gently and held her.

After a few minutes, they separated.

"Never again, Vincent. Promise me….never again."

Catherine's voice was shaky and Vincent was desperate to reassure her.

"I promise, I will never leave you again. I can't…I don't have a life without you in it. I just get scared sometimes, but I promise, I will always talk to you and you may have to talk me off that ledge every once in a while. Are you Ok with that?"

Catherine smiled.

"Yes, Vincent, I am ok with talking you off whatever ledge you are on. If only because I am always right there on it with you."

Catherine smiles at him.

"Speaking of ledges, we have to find Tori."

Vincent laughed.

"Well played, I wondered how long we would get to enjoy this moment."

Catherine narrowed her eyes at him. Vincent kissed her.

"I wouldn't have you any other way. I think the best way to find Tori is to talk with Reynolds."

"Does he know you're alive?"

"No, I made sure he did not see me at the hospital. I wasn't sure what you wanted to do."

Catherine thought to herself for a few moments.

"I think we need to tell him everything. He is deeply involved with Murfield or whoever sent that other beast. But he did save your life, he is not all bad. We can work with that…right"

Given everything that Vincent had been through, Catherine did not want to force him into anything. She had learned her lesson. She and Vincent would make all decisions from here on out…together.

"Yes, I really can't see another way. I tried to track Tori from the Antique store right when she was taken, but I couldn't focus. Now that you are ok, I could try again, but getting help from Reynolds would make it easier and we wouldn't be going in blind."

"Let's go talk to Reynolds!"

Vincent checked in with JT.

"Way to go big guy, I knew you two would work things out….don't get me wrong, you both had me worried there for a little bit, but seriously never doubted you."

Vincent smiled to himself. No one had a better friend, than he did in JT.

"Thanks buddy. It would appear that I owe some of this to you. Thanks for talking to her and seeing things more clearly that either of us. I owe you…big time…again."

JT shook it off like he always did.

"Whatever… I think you two need to come over here and see what I have found out. While you were 'talking things out' I was actually doing research to get us out of this mess."

Vincent and Catherine along with Tess met up at the Gentleman's club. JT was so excited he could barely contain himself.

"Remember how I told you that the beast who took Tori…we really need a name for him….'Daddy Beast.' Anyway I thought that Daddy Beast was the original beast, and he is, but he is not the only one….This one is also over 500 years old and news flash….it's not male, like I thought….it's female."

All three of them look aghast. JT continues.

"I compared the DNA from Daddy Beast and this one. They are both 500 years old and they both carry certain beast markers, but they are not related…"

JT let that sit there a moment. Vincent was the first to react.

"So that means….that there is not just one original beast that we all descend from…there are more of them?"

Catherine is confused.

"What are you saying?"

JT explains.

"At first we thought the serum used to change Vincent was purely synthetic. I haven't tested Tori yet to see if her beast traits are inherited from her father or if she was injected, maybe as a child so she didn't know. Then when I got the DNA from Tori's apartment, I realized that Daddy Beast was just that….a 500 year old beast. I checked it against Vincent's DNA and realized that he really is the Daddy Beast. Murfield must have gotten their hands on his DNA to make the cocktail that made Vincent. I checked Vincent against the DNA from the skeleton and while they share some of the beast markers, Vincent's beast is not in direct line from the skeleton. I need a sample of Tori's DNA to figure out where she fits into all this."

Vincent is shocked.

"So the cocktail they gave me is from Daddy Beast, which is different from the skeleton and maybe different from Tori?"

JT nodded his head, excited.

"YES! This maybe an extinct species Vincent! A full blown species. Instead of trying to skip a few steps in human evolution, Murfield went backwards."

Vincent paced across the room and shook his head as he tried to take it all in.

'What about the collar?"

JT shrugged his shoulders. I have no idea. If you look at the collar, there is an indentation in it, something is clearly missing. What that might be… I have no idea and why she was chained up… I have no idea. Maybe Reynolds would know?"

Catherine and Vincent looked at each other.

"We need to talk to Reynolds.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Vincent and Catherine walk into the FBI office of Agent Reynolds. Vincent relishes the shocked look on his face.

"Hi." Says Vincent. Catherine exhales deeply, trying not to laugh.

"Dad we need to talk.' Catherine says as she closes his door.

Reynolds is shell shocked, he stares at Vincent and then at Catherine, his mouth is opening and closing but no words are coming out.

"Yes, Vincent is alive, Yes, I lied to you, Yes, I know you lied to me, but I also know that you helped Vincent… as much as you could for me, so can we just move forward and work together now?"

Agent Reynold is trying to take this all in, he blinks, violently. "You know…..You know…you don't know anything!" He stands up behind his desk, slamming his hands on it. "Everything I have ever done has been to keep you out of all this. The only mistake I made was brining Vincent back here out of some misguided guilt for the pain it was causing you. Now you are in so deep, I don't know if I can keep you safe anymore."

Now it is Catherine and Vincents turn to be speechless. But it doesn't last long. Catherine shakes her head as if to clear it. "Keep me safe, I think I have proven a million times over that I can keep myself safe. Vincent is not a danger to me. He loves me!"

Reynold also shakes his head. "Vincent is not who I was protecting you from….Tier One is who I was trying to protect you from, but they know about you and they know you know about beasts." He pauses. "Maybe it is time to bring you inside. Maybe my boss is right."

Catherine sits down hard. Vincent stands behind her, protective. He realizes that there are forces at play here, that have nothing to do with him and everything to do with Catherine's family.

"Let me start at the beginning…In addition to the FBI I work for Tier One."

"Tier One?" Vincents questions.

"Murfield's parent company. It's also a family company. Its old….really old. It has had many different names over the years. As for right now it's Tier One, which in German means….Beast One."

Catherine puts her head in her hands. From under her hair she says. "So what…. this is a family beast hunting business? Are you kidding me?"

Reynolds spreads his hands wide. "Tier One or some form of it has been around for centuries. We have always known that beasts existed. At times we worked with them, at times we hunted them. Right now we are trying to fix a mistake. That mistake was Murfield. Murfield was the division of Tier One that worked on weaponizing humans using the beast DNA."

"Did Mom know about this?" Catherine asked tentatively, afraid of the answer.

"Not exactly. Your Mom's research on DNA and viruses came to the attention of Murfield, we met when I was tasked with getting access to her work. We met, fell in love and she came to work with me, thinking that we were working on enhancing soldier DNA to make them more resistant to diseases. Especially in third world countries where there were those issues. She was pregnant with you when she started to have suspicions and our personal relationship ended. I was able to keep her in the dark for years about what we were doing. Your Mom was with Thomas by then and they were raising you. It wasn't until Vincents unit had a negative reaction that she eventually figured out what we were really up to and she stayed, trying to mitigate the the damage, she tried to manage the side effects and find a cure. When all hell broke loose, for some unknown reason she helped Vincent escape. It took a little while, but Murfield eventually caught up with her."

Hearing about the death of her Mother, described so matter of factly made Catherine want to jump over that desk and "beast out" on Reynolds. Vincent sensing Catherine's turmoil places a warm hand on her shoulder. It has the effect of calming her down.

Now its Vincents turn to ask questions. "So you kidnapped me, tortured me, enhanced me and sent me back to fight against beasts. Why erase my memory? If you had just explained to me that you needed help finding Murfield's assets, I would have volunteered."

Reynolds explained. "The memory loss was a side effect of the enhancement. We had no idea that would happen. Although it seems to have been temporary?'

Vincent nodded, "Yes it was but the damage had already been done, especially to Catherine."

Reynolds hung his head a little. "I am sorry for that, and that the enhancement process was so brutal. There is no excuse for it, only that I thought I was protecting Catherine and I would torture anyone to keep her safe."

Vincent stares at Reynolds. He hates him, with every fiber of his being. The sounds of the woman screaming, thinking it was Catherine and letting go, he still has nightmares. But if he is brutally honest with himself he will admit that he feels the same, he would kill to keep Catherine safe. There is no line he would not cross for her.

So where does that leave them?

"What do you want?" Vincent asks Reynolds.

"The first is to keep Catherine out of all things beasts. Tier One knows about her and wants her to come work for them. They feel it's her destiny."

"Destiny?" Catherine is confused.

Reynolds nods. "Yes, destiny. Tier One is a family business, and you are part of that family. Vincent is not the only enhanced one in this room."

"WHAT!" Catherine and Vincent both exclaim at the same time.

"Catherine, have you ever wondered why you have always been able to calm Vincent? Why you have never been afraid of him. For God's sake you healed Gabe! He is no longer a beast because of you."

Catherine is stunned, she looks at Vincent. "It's not me, It's Vincent, he is a good man that is why I was never afraid. He saved my life!"

"Catherine you come from a genetic line that can control beasts, hell apparently you can even heal them. That is a rare gift and Tier One wants access to those gifts. I wanted you away from beasts, I never wanted your gifts to manifest. After you healed Gabe, there was no going back. Tier One knew about you, knew you were my daughter and putting Vincent back in play was the only way to protect you."

Vincent was still trying to take this all in. But he needed more time to digest. "So what is next? Tier One is not getting their hands on Catherine. Should we run?" He asks Reynolds the question, but is looking at Catherine.

She shakes her head. "We can't run, they would find us and what about Tori?" Looking at Reynolds. "Do you know where she is?"

"Yes, she is at our facility…the same one where Vincent was held."

"Is she being…." Vincent can't bring himself to say tortured.

"No, she is being evaluated. Like I said, some beasts we hunt others we work with. Tori is unusual in that we didn't know about her. Last I knew they were trying to figure out what exactly she is. Enhanced or born?"

"What about the beast that took her and almost killed Catherine?" Vincent lets his beast rise to the surface a little bit, expressing to Reynolds that he holds him responsible.

"That was Nixon…..He is an original."

"Original?". Catherine asks.

"Like I said, Tier One is old….really old."

"He is the originator of the beast serum they used on me." At Catherines questioning look, Vincent explains. "JT figured that out from DNA left at Windsor's apartment."

Vincent and Catherine exchange a look they are not telling Reynolds about the skeleton. Not until they know more.

"We need to get in there and rescue Tori. We can't just leave her there!"

"No way…..no way!" Reynolds is adamant. "You are not walking into the Lions Den!"

"Not yet, I need a plan first."

 _Back at JT's_

"This is crazy…like bonkers crazy! Vincent you can't think to let her do this!" Tess and JT have been brought up to speed and Catherine has come up with the beginnings of a plan. A plan that Tess is having no part of.

Before Vincent can respond, Catherine says. "I need to talk to Vincent….alone."

Tess gives Vincent a hard look conveying in that single glance that she expects him to talk Catherine out of the plan. "Fine….JT, lets give them some space." She takes him by the hand and as they head for the door, Vincent can hear JT whisper.

"But…. this is my house."

Vincent smiles at JT as the door closes. That quickly changes as he looks at Catherine. She looks so intense, he inhales deeply realizing that the last time he saw he like this was the first time she realized who he was and that he might know what happened to her Mother.

"Catherine…" He is cut off.

"I know what you are going to say and you are right, I am worked up, but not for the reason you think…..Have you thought about the fact that I might be able to heal you."

" e". He draws out her name.

" t". She does the same.

They both stare at each other.

"I can cure you Vincent, I know I can, I just need to learn how. I don't know how I saved Gabe! Please don't try and stop me. I can cure you!"

Vincent doesn't say anything, just opens his arms. Catherine walks into them, her arms sliding around his waist. "Beast or no Beast you cured me the day you loved me."

*sorry for the long hiatus, I will be updating this story regularly now…


End file.
